92 The Evolution Hypothesis. 



all past time and all future time." * His reasoning is 

 wholly delusive, unless it be held true that the force 

 of which he predicates persistence is force as mani- 

 fested, that is, force existing within the knowable. 



But does force, as existing within the knowable, 

 persist ? The individual manifestations of force are 

 continually changing, no mode of manifestation con- 

 tinues constant. What we see is not persistence, but 

 change. Is it, then, that amount of the Absolute 

 Force which is manifested in the individual instance 

 that persists ? To affirm so is to frame an impossible 

 proposition; for the absolute is unthinkable and in- 

 scrutable, and we cannot cut out of it a portion, 

 which may be supposed to be continually changing 

 its mode of manifestation while still retaining its 

 identity. 



The peristence of force as known or knowable is 

 not, as Mr. Spencer shows, provable by experience. 

 We cannot by any process of experiment arrive at 

 a knowledge of the fact, if it be a fact. In every 

 experiment we must take for granted the very thing 

 which is to be proved. If we measure, the persist- 

 ence of our standard must be assumed ; if we weigh, 

 the persistence of matter and of gravity must be 

 taken for granted. No manifestation of force can be 

 isolated, so as to be made a separate and distinct 

 subject of observation and experiment. To establish 



* First Principles, 191. 



