554 SUMMARY AND CONCLUSION. 



the law of co-operation of all the factors a law expressing 

 simultaneously the complex antecedents and the complex 

 consequents which any phenomena as a whole presents. 



A further inference was that Philosophy, as we under- 

 stand it, must not unify separate concrete phenomena only; 

 and must not stop short with unifying separate classes of 

 concrete phenomena; but must unify all concrete phenom- 

 ena. If the law of operation of each factor holds true 

 throughout the Cosmos; so, too, must the law of their co- 

 operation. And hence in comprehending the Cosmos as 

 conforming to this law of co-operation, must consist that 

 highest unification which Philosophy seeks. 



Descending from this abstract statement to a concrete 

 one, we saw that the law sought must be the law of the 

 continuous re-distribution of Matter and Motion. The 

 changes everywhere going on, from those which are slowly 

 altering the structure of our galaxy down to those which 

 constitute a chemical decomposition, are changes in the 

 relative positions of component parts ; and everywhere neces- 

 sarily imply that along with a new arrangement of Matter 

 there has arisen a new arrangement of Motion. Hence we 

 may be certain, a priori* that there must be a law of the 

 concomitant re-distribution of Matter and Motion, which 

 holds of every change; and which, by thus unifying all 

 changes, must be the basis of a Philosophy. 



In commencing our search for this universal law of re- 

 distribution, we contemplated from another point of view 

 the problem of Philosophy; and saw that its solution could 

 not but be of the nature indicated. It was shown that a 

 Philosophy stands self-convicted of inadequacy, if it does 

 not formulate the whole series of changes passed through 

 by every existence in its passage from the imperceptible to 

 the perceptible and again from the perceptible to the im- 

 perceptible. If it begins its explanations with existences 

 that already have concrete forms, or leaves off while they 

 still retain concrete forms; then, manifestly, they had pre- 



