﻿Rowland 
  — 
  The 
  Highest 
  Aim 
  of 
  the 
  Physicist. 
  409 
  

  

  most 
  limpid 
  water. 
  In 
  velocities 
  we 
  are 
  limited 
  to 
  a 
  few 
  miles 
  

   per 
  second. 
  In 
  forces 
  to 
  possibly 
  100 
  tons 
  to 
  the 
  square 
  inch. 
  

   In 
  mechanical 
  rotations 
  to 
  a 
  few 
  hundred 
  times 
  per 
  second. 
  

  

  All 
  the 
  facts 
  which 
  we 
  have 
  considered, 
  the 
  liability 
  to 
  error 
  

   in 
  whatever 
  direction 
  we 
  go, 
  the 
  infirmity 
  of 
  our 
  minds 
  in 
  their 
  

   reasoning 
  power, 
  the 
  fallibility 
  of 
  witnesses 
  and 
  experimenters, 
  

   lead 
  the 
  scientist 
  to 
  be 
  specially 
  sceptical 
  with 
  reference 
  to 
  any 
  

   statement 
  made 
  to 
  him 
  or 
  any 
  so-called 
  knowledge 
  which 
  may 
  

   be 
  brought 
  to 
  his 
  attention. 
  The 
  facts 
  and 
  theories 
  of 
  our 
  

   science 
  are 
  so 
  much 
  more 
  certain 
  than 
  those 
  of 
  history, 
  of 
  the 
  

   testimony 
  of 
  ordinary 
  people 
  on 
  which 
  the 
  facts 
  of 
  ordinary 
  

   history 
  or 
  of 
  legal 
  evidence 
  rest, 
  or 
  of 
  the 
  value 
  of 
  medicines 
  to 
  

   which 
  we 
  trust 
  when 
  we 
  are 
  ill, 
  indeed 
  to 
  the 
  whole 
  fabric 
  of 
  

   supposed 
  truth 
  by 
  which 
  an 
  ordinary 
  person 
  guides 
  his 
  belief 
  

   and 
  the 
  actions 
  of 
  his 
  life, 
  that 
  it 
  may 
  seem 
  ominous 
  and 
  

   strange 
  if 
  what 
  I 
  have 
  said 
  of 
  the 
  imperfections 
  of 
  the 
  knowl- 
  

   edge 
  of 
  physics 
  is 
  correct- 
  How 
  shall 
  we 
  regulate 
  our 
  minds 
  

   with 
  respect 
  to 
  it 
  : 
  there 
  is 
  only 
  one 
  way 
  that 
  I 
  know 
  of 
  and 
  

   that 
  is 
  to 
  avoid 
  the 
  discontinuity 
  of 
  the 
  ordinary, 
  indeed 
  the 
  

   so-called 
  cultivated 
  legal 
  mind. 
  There 
  is 
  no 
  such 
  thing 
  as 
  

   absolute 
  truth 
  and 
  absolute 
  falsehood. 
  The 
  scientific 
  mind 
  

   should 
  never 
  recognize 
  the 
  perfect 
  truth 
  or 
  the 
  perfect 
  false- 
  

   hood 
  of 
  any 
  supposed 
  theory 
  or 
  observation. 
  It 
  should 
  care- 
  

   fully 
  w^eigh 
  the 
  chances 
  of 
  truth 
  and 
  error 
  and 
  grade 
  each 
  in 
  

   its 
  proper 
  position 
  along 
  the 
  line 
  joining 
  absolute 
  truth 
  and 
  

   absolute 
  error. 
  

  

  The 
  ordinary 
  crude 
  mind 
  has 
  only 
  two 
  compartments, 
  one 
  

   for 
  truth 
  and 
  one 
  for 
  error 
  ; 
  indeed 
  the 
  contents 
  of 
  the 
  two 
  

   compartments 
  are 
  sadly 
  mixed 
  in 
  most 
  cases 
  : 
  the 
  ideal 
  scientific 
  

   mind, 
  however, 
  has 
  an 
  infinite 
  number. 
  Each 
  theory 
  or 
  law 
  is 
  

   in 
  its 
  proper 
  compartment 
  indicating 
  the 
  probability 
  of 
  its 
  

   truth. 
  As 
  a 
  new 
  fact 
  arrives 
  the 
  scientist 
  changes 
  it 
  from 
  one 
  

   compartment 
  to 
  another 
  so 
  as, 
  if 
  possible, 
  to 
  always 
  keep 
  it 
  in 
  

   its 
  proper 
  relation 
  to 
  truth 
  and 
  error. 
  Thus 
  the 
  fluid 
  nature 
  of 
  

   electricity 
  was 
  once 
  in 
  a 
  cotnpartment 
  near 
  the 
  truth. 
  Fara- 
  

   day's 
  and 
  Maxwell's 
  researches 
  have 
  now 
  caused 
  us 
  to 
  move 
  it 
  

   to 
  a 
  compartment 
  nearly 
  up 
  to 
  that 
  of 
  absolute 
  error. 
  

  

  So 
  the 
  law 
  of 
  gravitation 
  within 
  planetary 
  distances 
  is 
  far 
  

   toward 
  absolute 
  truth, 
  but 
  may 
  still 
  need 
  amending 
  before 
  it 
  is 
  

   advanced 
  farther 
  in 
  that 
  direction. 
  

  

  The 
  ideal 
  scientific 
  mind, 
  therefore, 
  must 
  always 
  be 
  held 
  in 
  

   a 
  state 
  of 
  balance 
  which 
  the 
  slightest 
  new 
  evidence 
  may 
  change 
  

   in 
  one 
  direction 
  or 
  another. 
  It 
  is 
  in 
  a 
  constant 
  state 
  of 
  skepti- 
  

   cism, 
  knowing 
  full 
  well 
  that 
  nothing 
  is 
  certain. 
  It 
  is 
  above 
  all 
  

   an 
  agnostic 
  with 
  respect 
  to 
  all 
  facts 
  and 
  theories 
  of 
  science 
  as 
  

   well 
  as 
  to 
  all 
  other 
  so-called 
  beliefs 
  and 
  theories. 
  

  

  Yet 
  it 
  would 
  be 
  folly 
  to 
  reason 
  from 
  this 
  that 
  we 
  need 
  not 
  

  

  