26 



possesses not the property of the general bodies of matter, the 

 impenetrability, but it has a special property of penetrability, that it 

 has no power of resistance, that the subtile fluid is a substance* 

 and-no-substance, and in reality it is a homogenous mass with 

 out any empty space between its parts, that is filling and fitting 

 the whole universal space without end, then we must assume 

 also that it has not the property of elasticity, because, the 

 elasticity may be developed in bodies by pressure, by traction 

 or pulling, flexion or bending, and by torsion or twisting to 

 resume their original form or volume, while such a homogen 

 ous mass which filled the endless and measureless universe 

 without any empty space in it and without any porosity, cannot 

 be resumed from its original form or volume. Such a homogen 

 ous mass, therefore, cannot possess any motion in it, and can 

 not be a conductor for heat, light and sound and no physical 

 phenomenon can be explained through it. A homogenous 

 mass, which should possesses the elasticity is a contradiction 

 in itself, and an everlasting shame to our scientists in all gener 

 ations. Such an absurdity can be only the result of the in 

 ductive method alone. 



Thus our scientists, replying with pertinacity on the ex 

 periment they make with the particularized objects they have in 

 hand, are driven to explain their theories, which their experi 

 mental science fails to make clear, in all sorts of tortuous ways, 

 but not in the way of truth. Perceiving the lorces of theunivere 

 as seperate and distinct forces that are active in matter, and not 

 knowing what the forces of heat, sound and light are, they have 

 put up the assumption that there is a fluid, a substance in the 

 universe which is no substance, and this substance-and-no-sub- 

 tance is the originator of these forces. 



In truth, however, our scientists have false conceptions of 

 nature in general and the working forces of nature in particular. 

 Their inductive and a posteriori methods of reasoning lead them 

 astray. Experimenting with individaulized objects they form 

 conceptions about the universal forces that are active in nature, 

 and these conceptions they set up as principles of the positive 

 truth. Should we assume that universal existence is nothing 



