THE PRINCIPLES OF SCIENCE. 



CHAPTEK I. 



INTRODUCTION. 



SCIENCE arises from the discovery of Identity amid 

 Diversity. The process may be described in many dif- 

 ferent words, but our language must always imply the 

 presence of one common and necessary element. In 

 every act of inference or scientific method we are engaged 

 about a certain identity, sameness, similarity, likeness, 

 resemblance, analogy, equivalence or equality apparent 

 between two objects. It is doubtful whether an entirely 

 isolated phenomenon could present itself to our notice, 

 since there must always be a contrast between object 

 and object to awaken our consciousness. But in any 

 case an isolated phenomenon could be studied to no 

 useful purpose. The whole value of science consists in 

 the power which it confers upon us of applying to one 

 object the knowledge acquired from like objects ; and it 

 is only so far, therefore, as we can discover and register 

 resemblances or differences that we can turn our obser- 

 vations to account. 



Nature is a spectacle continually exhibited to our 

 senses, in which phenomena are mingled in combina- 

 tions of endless variety and novelty. Wonder fixes the 

 mind's attention ; memory stores up a record of each 



B 



