CHANCE. 85 



As I said above, it is because, from the beginning of 

 the ages, there are complex causes that never cease 

 to operate in the same direction, which cause the 

 world to tend constantly towards uniformity without 

 the possibility of ever going back. It is these causes 

 which, little by little, have levelled the projections and 

 filled up the depressions, and it is for this reason that 

 our curves of probability present none but gentle undu- 

 lations. In millions and millions of centuries we shall 

 have progressed another step towards uniformity, and 

 these undulations will be ten times more gentle still. 

 The radius of mean curvature of our curve will have 

 become ten times longer. And then a length that 

 to-day does not seem to us very small, because an 

 arc of such a length cannot be regarded as rectilineal, 

 will at that period be properly qualified as very small, 

 since the curvature will have become ten times less, 

 and an arc of such a length will not differ appreciably 

 from a straight line. 



Thus the word very small remains relative, but it 

 is not relative to this man or that, it is relative to 

 the actual state of the world. It will change its 

 meaning when the world becomes more uniform and 

 all things are still more mixed. But then, no doubt, 

 men will no longer be able to live, but will have to 

 make way for other beings, shall I say much smaller 

 or much larger? So that our criterion, remaining 

 true for all men, retains an objective meaning. 



And, further, what is the meaning of the word vei)' 

 complex ? I have already given one solution, that 

 which I referred to again at the beginning of this 

 .section; but there are others. Complex causes, I have 

 said, produce a more and more intimate mixture, but 



