SCIENCE AND PHILOSOPHY 



foundation of Cuvier's arguments was further 

 shaken by the progress in other lines of science. 

 In 1830, Lyell established the proofs of imper- 

 ceptible and continuous development in geology 

 in his " Principles of Geology," and pulled the 

 crude catastrophic theory of Cuvier to shreds. 

 And Humphrey Davy had already suggested in 

 1809, that matter might be of a much more com- 

 plex structure than was generally assumed. He 

 also intimated that matter might become radiant 

 through very great velocity. Faraday made 

 similar statements in 1816, but his work " On the 

 Magnetization of Light and the Illumination of 

 the Magnetic Lines of Force" did not appear 

 until 1845. Ten years later he discovered the 

 laws of electrolysis. These steps led directly to 

 the theory of electrons and ions, and with these 

 charged particles of matter the entire theory of 

 atoms assumed a new aspect. Light and heat, 

 electricity and magnetism, now appeared as very 

 close relatives, and it required but a few steps 

 more to establish the identity of all life's phe- 

 nomena with electricity, magnetism, and radia- 

 tion. 



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