a discourse on method-第9章

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PART　V

I　would　here　willingly　have　proceeded　to　exhibit　the　whole　chain　of　truths　which　I　deduced　from　these　primary　but　as　with　a　view　to　this　it　would　have　been　necessary　now　to　treat　of　many　questions　in　dispute　among　the　earned；　with　whom　I　do　not　wish　to　be　embroiled；　I　believe　that　it　will　be　better　for　me　to　refrain　from　this　exposition；　and　only　mention　in　general　what　these　truths　are；　that　the　more　judicious　may　be　able　to　determine　whether　a　more　special　account　of　them　would　conduce　to　the　public　advantage。　　I　have　ever　remained　firm　in　my　original　resolution　to　suppose　no　other　principle　than　that　of　which　I　have　recently　availed　myself　in　demonstrating　the　existence　of　God　and　of　the　soul；　and　to　accept　as　true　nothing　that　did　not　appear　to　me　more　clear　and　certain　than　the　demonstrations　of　the　geometers　had　formerly　appeared；　and　yet　I　venture　to　state　that　not　only　have　I　found　means　to　satisfy　myself　in　a　short　time　on　all　the　principal　difficulties　which　are　usually　treated　of　in　philosophy；　but　I　have　also　observed　certain　laws　established　in　nature　by　God　in　such　a　manner；　and　of　which　he　has　impressed　on　our　minds　such　notions；　that　after　we　have　reflected　sufficiently　upon　these；　we　cannot　doubt　that　they　are　accurately　observed　in　all　that　exists　or　takes　place　in　the　world　and　farther；　by　considering　the　concatenation　of　these　laws；　it　appears　to　me　that　I　have　discovered　many　truths　more　useful　and　more　important　than　all　I　had　before　learned；　or　even　had　expected　to　learn。

But　because　I　have　essayed　to　expound　the　chief　of　these　discoveries　in　a　treatise　which　certain　considerations　prevent　me　from　publishing；　I　cannot　make　the　results　known　more　conveniently　than　by　here　giving　a　summary　of　the　contents　of　this　treatise。　　It　was　my　design　to　comprise　in　it　all　that；　before　I　set　myself　to　write　it；　I　thought　I　knew　of　the　nature　of　material　objects。　　But　like　the　painters　who；　finding　themselves　unable　to　represent　equally　well　on　a　plain　surface　all　the　different　faces　of　a　solid　body；　select　one　of　the　chief；　on　which　alone　they　make　the　light　fall；　and　throwing　the　rest　into　the　shade；　allow　them　to　appear　only　in　so　far　as　they　can　be　seen　while　looking　at　the　principal　one；　so；　fearing　lest　I　should　not　be　able　to　compense　in　my　discourse　all　that　was　in　my　mind；　I　resolved　to　expound　singly；　though　at　considerable　length；　my　opinions　regarding　light；　then　to　take　the　opportunity　of　adding　something　on　the　sun　and　the　fixed　stars；　since　light　almost　wholly　proceeds　from　them；　on　the　heavens　since　they　transmit　it；　on　the　planets；　comets；　and　earth；　since　they　reflect　it；　and　particularly　on　all　the　bodies　that　are　upon　the　earth；　since　they　are　either　colored；　or　transparent；　or　luminous；　and　finally　on　man；　since　he　is　the　spectator　of　these　objects。　Further；　to　enable　me　to　cast　this　variety　of　subjects　somewhat　into　the　shade；　and　to　express　my　judgment　regarding　them　with　greater　freedom；　without　being　necessitated　to　adopt　or　refute　the　opinions　of　the　learned；　I　resolved　to　leave　all　the　people　here　to　their　disputes；　and　to　speak　only　of　what　would　happen　in　a　new　world；　if　God　were　now　to　create　somewhere　in　the　imaginary　spaces　matter　sufficient　to　compose　one；　and　were　to　agitate　variously　and　confusedly　the　different　parts　of　this　matter；　so　that　there　resulted　a　chaos　as　disordered　as　the　poets　ever　feigned；　and　after　that　did　nothing　more　than　lend　his　ordinary　concurrence　to　nature；　and　allow　her　to　act　in　accordance　with　the　laws　which　he　had　established。　　On　this　supposition；　I；　in　the　first　place；　described　this　matter；　and　essayed　to　represent　it　in　such　a　manner　that　to　my　mind　there　can　be　nothing　clearer　and　more　intelligible；　except　what　has　been　recently　said　regarding　God　and　the　soul；　for　I　even　expressly　supposed　that　it　possessed　none　of　those　forms　or　qualities　which　are　so　debated　in　the　schools；　nor　in　general　anything　the　knowledge　of　which　is　not　so　natural　to　our　minds　that　no　one　can　so　much　as　imagine　himself　ignorant　of　it。　　Besides；　I　have　pointed　out　what　are　the　laws　of　nature；　and；　with　no　other　principle　upon　which　to　found　my　reasonings　except　the　infinite　perfection　of　God；　I　endeavored　to　demonstrate　all　those　about　which　there　could　be　any　room　for　doubt；　and　to　prove　that　they　are　such；　that　even　if　God　had　created　more　worlds；　there　could　have　been　none　in　which　these　laws　were　not　observed。　　Thereafter；　I　showed　how　the　greatest　part　of　the　matter　of　this　chaos　must；　in　accordance　with　these　laws；　dispose　and　arrange　itself　in　such　a　way　as　to　present　the　appearance　of　heavens；　how　in　the　meantime　some　of　its　parts　must　compose　an　earth　and　some　planets　and　comets；　and　others　a　sun　and　fixed　stars。　　And；　making　a　digression　at　this　stage　on　the　subject　of　light；　I　expounded　at　considerable　length　what　the　nature　of　that　light　must　be　which　is　found　in　the　sun　and　the　stars；　and　how　thence　in　an　instant　of　time　it　traverses　the　immense　spaces　of　the　heavens；　and　how　from　the　planets　and　comets　it　is　reflected　towards　the　earth。　　To　this　I　likewise　added　much　respecting　the　substance；　the　situation；　the　motions；　and　all　the　different　qualities　of　these　heavens　and　stars；　so　that　I　thought　I　had　said　enough　respecting　them　to　show　that　there　is　nothing　observable　in　the　heavens　or　stars　of　our　system　that　must　not；　or　at　least　may　not　appear　precisely　alike　in　those　of　the　system　which　I　described。　　I　came　next　to　speak　of　the　earth　in　particular；　and　to　show　how；　even　though　I　had　expressly　supposed　that　God　had　given　no　weight　to　the　matter　of　which　it　is　composed；　this　should　not　prevent　all　its　parts　from　tending　exactly　to　its　center；　how　with　water　and　air　on　its　surface；　the　disposition　of　the　heavens　and　heavenly　bodies；　more　especially　of　the　moon；　must　cause　a　flow　and　ebb；　like　in　all　its　circumstances　to　that　observed　in　our　seas；　as　also　a　certain　current　both　of　water　and　air　from　east　to　west；　such　as　is　likewise　observed　between　the　tropics；　how　the　mountains；　seas；　fountains；　and　rivers　might　naturally　be　formed　in　it；　and　the　metals　produced　in　the　mines；　and　the　plants　grow　in　the　fields　and　in　general；　how　all　the　bodies　which　are　commonly　denominated　mixed　or　composite　might　be　generated　and；　among　other　things　in　the　discoveries　alluded　to　inasmuch　as　besides　the　stars；　I　knew　nothing　except　fire　which　produces　light；　I　spared　no　pains　to　set　forth　all　that　pertains　to　its　nature；　　the　manner　of　its　production　and　support；　and　to　explain　how　heat　is　sometimes　found　without　light；　and　light　without　heat；　to　show　how　it　can　induce　various　colors　upon　different　bodies　and　other　diverse　qualities；　how　it　reduces　some　to　a　liquid　state　and　hardens　others；　how　it　can　consume　almost　all　bodies；　or　convert　them　into　ashes　and　smoke；　and　finally；　how　from　these　ashes；　by　the　mere　intensity　of　its　action；　it　forms　glass：　　for　as　this　transmutation　of　ashes　into　glass　appeared　to　me　as　wonderful　as　any　other　in　nature；　I　took　a　special　pleasure　in　describing　it。　　I　was　not；　however；　disposed；　from　these　circumstances；　to　conclude　that　this　world　had　been　created　in　the　manner　I　described；　for　it　is　much　more　likely　that　God　made　it　at　the　first　such　as　it　was　to　be。　But　this　is　certain；　and　an　opinion　commonly　received　among　theologians；　that　the　action　by　which　he　now　sustains　it　is　the　same　with　that　by　which　he　originally　created　it；　so　that　even　although　he　had　from　the　beginning　given　it　no　other　form　than　that　of　chaos；　provided　only　he　had　established　certain　laws　of　nature；　and　had　lent　it　his　concurrence　to　enable　it　to　act　as　it　is　wont　to　do；　it　may　be　believed；　without　discredit　to　the　miracle　of　creation；　that；　in　this　way　alone；　things　purely　material　might；　in　course　of　time；　have　become　such　as　we　observe　them　at　present；　and　their　nature　is　much　more　easily　conceived　when　they　are　beheld　coming　in　this　manner　gradually　into　existence；　than　when　they　are　only　considered　as　produced　at　once　in　a　finished　and　perfect　state。

From　the　description　of　inanimate　bodies　and　plants；　I　passed　to　animals；　and　particularly　to　man。　　But　since　I　had　not　as　yet　sufficient　knowledge　to　enable　me　to　treat　of　these　in　the　same　manne