The Persistence of Force. 85 



for the same reason that it is impossible to think of 

 nothing becoming something the reason, namely, 

 that nothing cannot become an object of conscious- 

 ness." * The possibility of thinking the creation of 

 something out of nothing will come up for discussion 

 subsequently. It may be easily shown that pictur- 

 ability is not the measure of legitimate thought. But 

 .suppose we grant that it is impossible to think of some- 

 thing becoming nothing, and suppose we are driven 

 to accept the persistence of force, because we cannot 

 represent to the mind any force ceasing to be, evolu- 

 tionism has gained no solid advantage. If our in- 

 ability to think force as becoming non-existent is 

 "immediately consequent on the nature of thought;" 

 if, therefore, it is through this mental impotence that 

 we are compelled to accept the principle of the per- 

 sistence of force, the foundation of the evolution 

 doctrine as a system of positive truth is taken away. 

 For our inability to think cannot form the basis of 

 real knowledge. A system of positive philosophy 

 cannot be established on the warrant of an impotence 

 of intelligence. If Mr. Spencer were engaged only 

 with the coherence and conclusiveness of abstract 

 reasoning; if his system were a system of thought 

 and not of things ; if his aim were to show us what 

 concepts are permissible to human intelligence and 

 what are not ; if he were constructing an ideal 



* First Principles, 53. 



