CHAPTER IX. 



THE VARIETY OF NATURE, OR THE DOCTRINE OF 

 COMBINATIONS AND PERMUTATIONS. 



NATURE may be said to be evolved from the monotony 

 of non-existence by the creation of diversity. It is plau- 

 sibly asserted that we are conscious only so far as we 

 experience difference. Life is change, and perfectly uni- 

 form existence would be no better than non-existence. 

 Certain it is that life demands incessant novelty, and that 

 nature, though it probably never fails to obey the same 

 fixed laws, yet presents to us an apparently unlimited 

 series of varied combinations of events. It is the work of 

 science to observe and record the kinds and comparative 

 numbers of such combinations of phenomena, occurring 

 spontaneously or produced by our interference. Patient 

 and skilful examination of the records may then disclose 

 the laws imposed on matter at its creation, and enable us 

 more or less successfully to predict, or even to regulate, 

 the future occurrence of any particular combination. 



The Laws of Thought are the first and most important 

 of all the laws which govern the combinations of pheno- 

 mena, and, though they be binding on the mind, they 

 may also be regarded as verified in the external world. 

 The Logical Alphabet develops the utmost variety of 

 things and events which may occur, and it is evident that 

 as each new quality is introduced, the number of combi- 

 nations is doubled. Thus four qualities may occur in 16 

 combinations; five qualities in 32; six qualities in 64; 

 and so on. In general language, if n be the number of 

 qualities, 2" is the number of varieties of things which 



