42 THE WOKLD-ENERGY 



unrestrained repulsion, as between all portions of matter 



between the smallest, no less than between the largest 



absolute continuity of repulsion must have the effect to 

 infinitely diffuse each body through space. Whence, not 

 only must every particular body lose all outline or boun- 

 dary, and thus contradict the conception of body as 

 something both extended and also limited ; but every 

 particular body must thus penetrate every other body 

 completely, and hence occupy the same space at the same 

 time. In other words, there would be but one uniformly 

 diffused mass, which, by the very fact of its infinite pene- 

 trability, must forever remain wholly unknown to us. 



It appears, then, that a " matter " which should 

 consist solely of resistance must, by that very fact, be 

 infinitely diffused, and hence infinitely penetrable, or 

 absolutely non-resistant. And this is the same as to say 

 that the conception of matter as consisting solely of resist- 

 ance is a self -contradictory conception a conception 

 wholly at variance with the law of consistency, the 

 central law of all thought and of all reality that can ever 

 be known by thought. 



Our conclusion is, then, that though mere resistance 

 may be the truth of matter as extended, it is far from 

 being the whole truth of matter. 



We have, then, to make this further inquiry : What is 

 the real truth involved in the conception of resistance ? 



We have certain impressions, to the objective phase of 

 which we give the name "body," or "matter." And for 

 us body or matter consists of a resistance which we name 

 repulsion. We cannot account for these impressions in 

 any other way. And yet, thus accounting for them, we 



