134 HISTORY OF SCIENCE. 





of knowledge concerning the tour elements. The superstitious philo- 

 sophies are those in which scientific theories are blended with theo- 

 logical systems. As an example of the delusions wrought by this idolum, 

 we may refer to cases in which persons have attempted to deduce a 

 physical theory of the world from the Mosaic cosmogony. 



The second part of the " Novum Organum " treats of the method by 

 which the laws of nature are to be sought. Bacon borrows from the 

 Platonists the word " form " (forma) ; but, unlike Plato, he seeks his 

 forms in the material world, and not out of it. By " forms " Bacon 

 means the causes or general laws of phenomena : thus, the law or 

 mode of action by which such things as heat, light, transparency, etc., 

 are severally produced, are the "forms" of these phenomena. "The 

 form of any nature is such, that where it is, the given nature must in- 

 fallibly be. The form is perpetually present where that nature is pre- 

 sent, ascertains it universally and accompanies it everywhere. Again, 

 this form is such that, when removed, the given nature infallibly 

 vanishes ; therefore the form is perpetually wanting where that nature 

 is wanting, and thus confirms its presence or absence, and comes and 

 goes with that nature alone." 



The discovery of the " forms " of phenomena involves, according to 

 Bacon, the discovery of the latent process (latens proccssus) and of the 

 hidden structure (latens schematismus). What he means by these terms 

 may be thus exemplified : When a cannon is fired, the action appears 

 instantaneous ; yet we know that in reality there must be between the 

 application of the match and the expulsion of the projectile a series 

 of actions ; and we can theoretically resolve the discharge of the piece 

 into chemical separation of the atoms of the saltpetre, and combination, 

 of some of these with carbon and sulphur atoms, accompanied by a 

 change from the solid to the gaseous state, the movement and impulse 

 of the molecules of gaseous matter, and motion thereby communicated 

 to the projectile, which moves forward with a velocity gradually in- 

 creasing from zero to that with which it leaves the gun. It is this 

 continuous series of actions which Bacon would in this case call the 

 latent process. Again, we may consider the form of a crystal, its tran- 

 sparency, colour, optical properties, etc., as depending upon the shape 

 and arrangement of its unseen and ultimate parts and atoms. This 

 inner structure of bodies Bacon denominates their latent schematism ; 

 and not only did he consider that the knowledge of this was attainable, 

 but he declared that it could only be by such knowledge that men 

 could " superinduce a new nature on a given body so as to change it 

 into another body." It by no means follows, however, that if we were 

 acquainted, for instance, with the nature of that inner structure of glass 

 or of crystals which causes these substances to be transparent, we 

 should have it in our power to impart at pleasure this structure to any 

 given substances. As a matter of fact, however, we are as ignorant of 

 the latens schematismus which is concerned in the colour, transparency, 



