The Persistence of Force. 9 1 



persistence of force. Setting out with the proposi- 

 tion that force can neither come into existence nor 

 cease to exist," it necessarily follows.* This reason- 

 ing is totally void of meaning, unless on the assump- 

 tion that the persisting force is force within the range 

 of possible science, force as knowable and measurable. 

 We cannot quantify the unlimited. In like manner, he 

 has in view force which may be measured, when he 

 argues that " every antecedent mode of the unknow- 

 able must have an invariable connection quantitative 

 and qualitative with that mode of the unknowable 

 which we call its consequent. For to say otherwise 

 is to deny the persistence of force." -f- His synthetic 

 philosophy is the application of this principle to con- 

 crete phenomena. His reasoning would be altogether 

 inconclusive, if the force persisting is to be assumed 

 unthinkable. His philosophy proceeds throughout on 

 the supposition that the persistence of force holds 

 good over the entire domain of knowledge. Reason- 

 ing from this assumption, as his fundamental prin- 

 ciple, he proposes to demonstrate the law of evolution 

 deductively, and show it to be the necessary law of 

 cosmic change. His whole system is founded on 

 the persistence of manifested force, in sameness of 

 quantity from everlasting to everlasting on the re- 

 cognition of a persisting force " ever changing its, 

 manifestations, but unchanged in quantity throughout 



* First Principles, -73. t Ibid. 63. 



