THE DOCTRINE OF ENERGY 89 



physical phenomena, and let us examine briefly the 

 effects which the acceptance of this new postulate 

 is likely to have on philosophic speculation. 



All my Presentment, all the content of my sense- 

 experience, according to this theory, I attribute 

 to a multifarious continuous series of transmuta- 

 tions constantly proceeding in some portion of the 

 system of Energy which constitutes the real sub- 

 stratum of phenomena. I study, measure, and 

 classify the different species of these transmuta- 

 tions ; I associate particular sensations and classes 

 of sensations with particular transmutations, and 

 I thence infer the existence in posse or in esse of 

 more or less Energy in some particular form trans- 

 muting itself according to some one or other definite 

 physical law. I infer also the existence of various 

 supplies of potential Energy constantly available, 

 and of other intelligent agents like myself. 



I associate every such intelligent agent with a 

 particular series or group of sense-experiences, and 

 further I assume that the world at his Presentment, 

 consists for him in a similar series of transmutations 

 continuously going on in that portion of the energetic 

 system which I believe in a similar waj^ to con- 

 stitute such person's bodily organism. Thus by the 

 same process of reasoning by which I am led to 

 believe that my own Presentment consists in the 



