SCIENCE AND PHILOSOPHY 



atomic weights by Berzelius, begun in 1811. And 

 in physics, Gay Lussac and Avogadro modified 

 the Daltonian theory profoundly. Gay Lussac 

 showed in 1808, that combination between gases 

 always takes place in simple relations by volume, 

 and that all gaseous densities are proportional 

 either to the combined weights of the various 

 substances, or to rational multiples of their 

 weights. And Avogadro generalized the new 

 ideas in 1811 and announced his law that " equal 

 volumes of gas, under like conditions, of tem- 

 perature and pressure, contain an equal number 

 of molecules." At the same time, the principle of 

 classification, adopted by natural science, worked 

 its way into economics, politics, and law. These 

 specialists were little aware of the fact, that they 

 were contributing their share to a monistic con- 

 ception of all phenomena in the universe, and 

 undermining inch by inch the foundation on 

 which the theological belief in supernatural mir- 

 acles rested. 



Capitalism was now in its ascending stage, and 

 its technical requirements in transportation and 

 markets soon led to an improvement of steam 

 engines and means of general communication. 

 Fitch made an unsuccessful attempt to introduce 

 steam navigation on the Delaware, in 1790. The 



