The Grammar of Science

Karl Pearson

A. and C. Black, 1900 - Classification of sciences - 548 pages

Contents

• CHAPTER IX: 26
• The Third Claim of Science: 29
• Science and the Imagination: 30
• The Method of Science Illustrated: 32
• Science and the Esthetic Judgment: 34
• The Fourth Claim of Science: 36
• Summary and Literature: 37
• CHAPTER II: 39
• SenseImpressions and Consciousness: 42
• ③ The Brain as a Central Telephone Exchange: 44
• The Nature of Thought: 46
• OtherConsciousness as an Eject: 48
• Attitude of Science towards Ejects: 51
• The Scientific Validity of a Conception: 53
• The Scientific Validity of an Inference: 55
• The Limits to OtherConsciousness: 57
• The Canons of Legitimate Inference: 59
• SEC PAGE 11 The External Universe: 60
• Outside and Inside Myself: 63
• Sensations as the Ultimate Source of the Materials of Knowledge: 66
• Shadow and Reality: 69
• Individuality: 71
• The Futility of Thingsinthemselves: 72
• The Term Knowledge meaningless if applied to Unthinkable Things: 74
• Summary and Literature: 75
• CHAPTER III: 77
• Of the Word Law and its Meanings: 79
• Natural Law relative to Man: 82
• Man as the Maker of Natural Law: 85
• The Two Senses of the Words Natural Law: 87
• Confusion between the Two Senses of Natural Law: 88
• The Reason behind Nature: 90
• True Relation of Civil and Natural Law: 93
• Physical and Metaphysical Supersensuousness: 95
• Progress in the Formulating of Natural Law: 96
• The Universality of Scientific Law: 100
• The Routine of Perceptions possibly a Product of the Perceptive Faculty: 101
• The Mind as a SortingMachine: 106
• Science Natural Theology and Metaphysics: 107
• Conclusions: 109
• Summary and Literature: 112
• CHAPTER IV: 113
• Force as a Cause: 116
• Will as a Cause: 118
• Secondary Causes involve no Enforcement: 120
• Is Will a First Cause?: 122
• Will as a Secondary Cause: 123
• First Causes have no Existence for Science: 127
• Cause and Effect as the Routine of Experience: 128
• Width of the Term Cause: 131
• The Universe of SenseImpressions as a Universe of Motions: 132
• Routine in Perception is a necessary Condition of Knowledge: 136
• Probability as to Breaches in the Routine of Perceptions: 142
• The Permanency of Routine for the Future: 148
• CHAPTER V: 152
• The Infinite Bigness of Space: 157
• Conceptions and Perceptions: 164
• Conceptual Space Geometrical Boundaries: 170
• Conceptual Continuity Ether: 178
• Conceptual Time and its Measurement: 186
• CHAPTER VI: 193
• On Change of Aspect or Rotation: 200
• PointMotion Relative Character of Position and Motion: 206
• The TimeChart: 215
• SEC PAGE 12 The Velocity Diagram or Hodograph Acceleration: 219
• Acceleration as a Spurt and a Shunt: 222
• Curvature: 224
• The Relation between Curvature and Normal Acceleration: 228
• Fundamental Propositions in the Geometry of Motion: 231
• The Relativity of Motion Its Synthesis from Simple Components: 233
• Summary and Literature: 237
• CHAPTER VII: 239
• The Three Problems: 242
• How the Physicists define Matter: 244
• Does Matter occupy Space?: 248
• The Commonsense View of Matter as Impenetrable and Hard: 252
• Individuality does not denote Sameness in Substratum: 254
• Hardness not characteristic of Matter: 258
• Matter as nonMatter in Motion: 259
• The Ether as Perfect Fluid and Perfect Jelly: 262
• The VortexRing Atom and the EtherSquirt Atom: 265
• A Material Loophole into the Supersensuous: 267
• The Difficulties of a Perceptual Ether: 270
• Why do Bodies move?: 272
• Summary and Literature: 276
• CHAPTER VIII: 278
• The Limits to Mechanism: 282
• The First Law of Motion: 284
• The Second Law of Motion or the Principle of Inertia: 286
• The Third Law of Motion Mutual Acceleration is determined by Relative Position: 290
• Velocity as an Epitome of Past History Mechanism and Material ism Laplaces Ideal Goal: 295
• The Fourth Law of Motion: 299
• The Scientific Conception of Mass: 302
• The Fifth Law of Motion The Definition of Force: 303
• Equality of Masses tested by Weighing: 306
• How far does the Mechanism of the Fourth and Fifth Laws of Motion extend?: 310
• Density as the Basis of the Kinetic Scale: 312
• The Influence of Aspect on the Corpuscular Dance: 316
• The Relation of Biology to Physics: 328
• Mechanism and Metaphysics in Theories of Heredity: 334
• Do the Laws of Motion apply to Life?: 341
• The Perpetuity of Life or Biogenesis: 347
• On the Relation of the Conceptual Description to the Phenomenal: 354
• Primitive History describable in terms of the Principles of Evolution: 361
• CHAPTER X: 372
• Individual and Racial: 381
• Correlation: 394
• The Organism and its Growth: 402
• The Unsolved Problems: 412
• CHAPTER XI: 421
• Sexual Selection: 501

Popular passages

Page 325 - Newton, Law I.—Every body continues in its state of rest or of uniform motion in a straight line, except in so far as it may be compelled by force to change that state. Now the

Page 33 - Here, then, I had at last got a theory by which to work ; but I was so anxious to avoid prejudice, that I determined not for some time to write even the briefest sketch of it. In June 1842

Page 302 - its intellect were vast enough to submit these data to analysis, would include in one and the same formula the movements of the largest bodies in the universe and those of the lightest atom. Nothing would be uncertain for it, the future as well as the past would be present to its eyes.

Page 83 - A law, in the most general and comprehensive acceptation in which the term, in its literal meaning, is employed, may be said to be a rule laid down for the guidance of an intelligent being by an intelligent being having power over him.

Page 32 - By collecting all facts which bore in any way on the variation of animals and plants under domestication and nature, some light might perhaps be thrown on the whole subject. My first note-book was opened in July 1837. I worked on true Baconian principles,

Page 93 - That which doth assign unto each thing the kind, that which doth moderate the force and power, that which doth appoint the form and measure of working, the same we term a Law

Page 302 - in the perfection it has been able to give to astronomy, affords a feeble outline of such an intelligence. Its discoveries in mechanics and in geometry, joined to that of universal gravitation, have brought it within reach of comprehending in the same analytical expressions the past and future states of the systems of the world.

Page 33 - I first allowed myself the satisfaction of writing a very brief abstract of my theory in pencil in 35 pages ; and this was enlarged during the summer of 1844 into one of 230 pages, which I had fairly copied out and still possess.

Page 6 - sum up the aim and method of modern science. The scientific man has above all things to strive at self-elimination in his judgments, to provide an argument which is as true for each individual mind as for his own. The classification of facts, the recognition of their sequence and relative Significance is

Page 91 - sense-impressions. Law in the scientific sense is thus essentially a product of the human mind and has no meaning apart from man. It owes its existence to the creative power of his intellect. There is more meaning in the statement that man gives laws to Nature than in its converse that Nature gives laws to man. § 5.—

Bibliographic information

• Title: The Grammar of Science
• Author: Karl Pearson
• Edition: 2
• Publisher: A. and C. Black, 1900
• Length: 548 pages