THE PARADOX OF SCIENCE
In the days of the ancients, when the philosophers found themselves
unable to account for any particular class of phenomena, they bundled it
together and referred it to a suppositious Something that they called
"The Ether." Finding this an easy way to get rid of vexatious questions,
they fell into the custom--and the habit grew upon them. Soon there were
a dozen or more different kind of Ethers in vogue, each explaining
something else--the "something else," by the way, being things that
Science _now_ feels that it understands pretty well. These Ethers grew
to be like the various "Vapors" of the ancients--a dignified term for
"We don't know"--a respectable road for retreat under the semblance of
an advance.
These Ethers became a scientific scandal, and caused a lax mode of
thinking among students of those times. And so they were finally
abolished and relegated to the scrap pile of Science, where they lay
for many centuries until a comparatively recent period, when at least
one of them was hauled forth, dusted, freshened up a little, and placed
upon its old pedestal. This revamped Ether, referred to, was the "Ether
of Aristotle." Aristotle, as we know, was a famous Greek philosopher who
lived about 350 B.C.--about 2250 years ago. He was a good man and a
celebrated philosopher, but was somewhat deficient in scientific
knowledge. Although he knew many things, and uttered many wise thoughts,
he was under the impression that the breath of Man entered the heart
instead of the lungs--that the back part of the skull was empty, and so
on. He was without the advantages of a modern training--which, was not
his fault, however.
Well, Aristotle conceived the idea of an Universal Ether, which he
thought pervaded all space, and with which he accounted for the passage
of light from the sun and stars; the movements of the planets, and
various other physical phenomena. It is not known whether Aristotle
really _believed_ in this Ether, or whether he merely used it as a
speculative hypothesis, following the Ether Habit of his contemporaries.
At any rate, his theory served its purpose--lived, flourished, declined
and died--at least seemed to be dead. But its corpse was resurrected in
modern times, and used to account for divers things.
This does not mean that modern thinkers really "believe" in the
Universal Ether--they merely assume it as a working hypothesis until
something better is offered.
Its principal modern use is to account for the transmission of Light
from the Sun and Stars to the Earth. It was held that a thing could not
act "where it was not," and so it became necessary to account for the
transmission either by the theory that small particles of substance were
thrown off from the Sun, and travelled to the Earth, or else that there
was some medium of communication by means of vibrations, etc. Newton
held to the first theory, but his hypothesis went down before the Ether
advocates, who advanced the "wave-theory," although it seems that, like
Banquo's ghost, Newton's theory will not stay down, and is now taking on
a new lease of life, owing to the discovery of the Corpuscle and Radiant
Matter.
The Wave-theory philosophers asserted that the Light and Heat of the Sun
were thrown off in the shape of Force or Energy, and transformed into
"waves" in and of a hypothetical Ether (Aristotle's own), which waves
were carried to the Earth, where, meeting Substance, they were again
transformed into Heat and Light.
It was known that Light and Heat travelled at the rate of 184,000 miles
per second, and therefore the "waves" of the Ether were considered to
have that speed. The Wave-theory seemed to fit the facts of the case
better than the Newtonian Theory of Corpuscles, although the latter has
always been considered as better explaining certain phenomena than the
new theory. And so the Ether Wave became generally accepted, and remains
so to-day, although recent discoveries are causing a disturbance in the
scientific camp regarding the question.
Later it was discovered that the Electricity travelled at the same rate
as Light and Heat, and the Wave-of-the-Ether theory was thus thought to
have additional verification, and Electricity came under the Law and
remained there until the Electron discovery, which is causing much
disturbance, among those interested in the study of Electricity.
Briefly stated, the theory of the Universal Ether is this:
That pervading all Space in the Universe--not only between planets,
stars and suns, but also "filling in the cracks" between molecules, and
atoms as well--there is a subtle Substance in and through which the
waves of Light, Heat, Electricity and Magnetism travel at the rate of
184,000 miles per second. This Substance is said to be "Matter that is
not Matter"--in fact, Science does not venture to say just _what_ it is,
although it freely states just what some of its properties must be, and,
alas! these properties are most contradictory and opposite to each
other, as we shall see as we proceed.
This Universal Ether is purely hypothetical. It has been called a
"necessity of Science"--something assumed for the purpose of explaining
or accounting for certain phenomena. It is undemonstrated and
unproved--in fact, may truthfully be said to be undemonstrable and
unprovable. Some have gone so far as to say that its claimed properties
and qualities render it "unthinkable" as well. And yet, Science finds
itself compelled to assume that the Ether, or "something like it"
exists, or else cease speculating about it. It belongs to the realm of
pure theory, and yet, many writers treat it as if it were a positively
demonstrated and proven fact. Let us examine into the nature of
Science's problem, and her attempted solution, and the trouble arising
therefrom.
Light travels at the rate of 184,000 miles a second. Remember, that
Light and Heat are that which we call by those names only when
considered in connection with Substance. According to the theory, Light
in the Sun's atmosphere is transformed into a Light-wave of the Ether on
its travels to the earth, and only when the "wave" comes in contact
with the Substance on the earth's body or atmosphere does it become
again transformed into Light as we know it. In its travels through
space it meets with no Substance, and has nothing to "turn into
light"--consequently Space (between worlds) is in a state of absolute
darkness. The same is true of Heat, and inter-world Space is absolutely
cold, although passing through it are countless heat-waves of great
intensity, which, later on, will be transformed into Heat when they
reach the Substance, the earth. The same is true of Electricity and
Magnetism.
Although the Ether, as we have seen, is a purely theoretical substance,
yet Science has found it reasonable to conclude that it must be
possessed of certain attributes in order to account for certain known
facts. Thus, it is said to be frictionless, else the worlds, suns and
planets could not pass freely through it, nor could the light and heat
waves travel at such a tremendous rate. It also is thought to have
something like Inertia, because Motion once started in it persists until
stopped; because it is at a state of rest until Motion is imparted to
it; and because it takes a fraction of time to impart motion to it. It
is thought to be different from Substance in any of its known forms, for
many reasons, among such being the fact that no known form of Substance
could carry vibrations through space at the rate of 184,000 miles a
second. And Light and Heat waves travel at that rate, and have forms and
shapes, and lengths of their own. Light for instance, vibrates on two
planes, and a light-wave is something like a Greek cross, thus (-|-),
having a horizontal and a vertical line, or plane of vibration. And the
Ether cannot be a fluid of any degree, because a fluid cannot transmit
cross vibrations at all. And it cannot be a Solid, because a Solid could
not stand vibrations at such a terrific speed, and still remain a Solid.
And yet, to transmit the two-plane light waves, the Ether must have a
certain degree of Rigidity, else the waves could not travel. Lord Kelvin
estimated this degree of Rigidity as about 19,000,000,000th of the
rigidity of the hardest steel. So, you see, Science is compelled to
assume that the Ether is "a continuous, Frictionless medium, possessing
both Inertia and Rigidity." Some scientists have thought it to be a kind
of "elastic jelly."
Of the Ether, Prof. Oliver Lodge has said, "We have to try and realize
the idea of a perfectly continuous, subtle, incompressible substance,
pervading all Space, and penetrating between the molecules of ordinary
Matter, which are imbedded in it, and connected to one another by its
means. And we must regard it as the one universal medium by which all
actions between bodies are carried on. This, then, is its function--to
act as the transmitter of motion and energy."
To give you an idea of the wonderful thing that Science is compelled to
think of the Ether as being, by reason of the qualities it is compelled
to ascribe to it--although it confesses itself unable to "imagine" the
nature of the "Thing" which it has created in bits by the adding and
bestowing of qualities which were made necessary by the logical
requirements of the case--let us take a hurried view of the Thing as the
several departments of Science say it must be thought of.
To meet the requirements of the case, Science says that The Universal
Ether must be Substance infinitely more rare and evanescent than the
finest gas or vapor known to Science, even in its rarest condition. It
must convey Heat in the manner of an infinitely Solid body--and yet it
must not be a Solid. It must be transparent and invisible. It must be
Frictionless, and yet Incompressible. It cannot be a Fluid. It cannot
have Attraction for Substance, such as all Substance has. Nor can it
have Weight--that is, it is not subject to Gravitation. It is beyond the
reach of any known scientific instrument, even of the greatest power,
and it refuses to register itself in any way, either to senses or
instruments.
It cannot be known "of itself," but may only be recognized as existent
by the "things" for which it acts as a medium or transmitting agent. It
must convey Energy and Motion, yet it must not take up any part of
either from the Matter in its midst. It must not absorb any of the Heat,
Light or Electricity. It must fill up the spaces between the worlds, as
well as the most minute space between the Molecules, Atoms and
Corpuscles, or any other minute particle of Substance, either known by
name to Science now or which may be discovered or imagined later as a
necessity of some conception regarding the nature of Substance. In
short, The Universal Ether, in order to do the things attributed to it,
must be more solid than Solids; more Vapor-like and Gas-like than Vapor
or Gas; more fluid than Fluids; infinitely less rigid than steel, and
yet infinitely stronger than the strongest steel. It must be a substance
having the qualities of a vacuum. It must be continuous and not composed
of Particles, Atoms or Molecules. It must be an "everything" in some
respects, and yet a "nothing" in others. It must not be Substance, and
yet it must carry Substance within its ocean of dimensions, and,
besides, interpenetrate the most minute space between the particles of
Substance. It must not be Energy or Force, and yet Science has been
considering Energy and Force as but "interruptions of rest" or
"agitations" within, and of, itself.
So you see that this mysterious, wonderful Universal Ether--in order to
"be" at all--must be a "Something" possessing certain qualities or
properties of Substance--many of the properties of qualities being
exactly contradictory and opposed to each other--and yet it cannot be
Substance as we know it. It is a Paradoxical thing. It could only belong
to another and an entirely different order of existence from that of
Substance as we know it. It must possess characteristics and properties
of an order as yet unknown to us by name--for which the material world
contains no analogy--for which Substance has no analogues. It must be a
far more complex thing than is even the most complex thing we call
Matter, or that which we call Force or Energy. And yet, it has been
claimed that it would explain both--yes, contain within itself the
possibility of both.
And yet, in face of what has just been said, the writer must confess,
humbly and with a full realization of the enormity of the offence, that
he supposes advancing a theory, a little further on in this book that
will attempt to identify this Something--this Universal Ether--with a
Something else that we know, although not through the senses or by means
of instruments. Bear with him kindly, he begs of you, while he proceeds
gradually along the path that leads to the theory.
Scientists have compared Substance moving through the Ether as a coarse
seive moving through water, the latter making room for the passage of
the seive, and then closing up behind it. If this be amended by the idea
that the moving seive, while allowing the water to pass through it
freely, still carries along with it a thin film of water which clings to
the wires of the seive by adhesion--if there be admitted this "clinging
film" as well as the body of the water through which the seive
moves--then the illustration answers quite well as a crude illustration
of Substance and "The Ether." This fact is important in view of the
theory that will be advanced, further on in this book. Prof. Lodge, in
his interesting work, "Modern Views of Electricity," mentions a number
of experiments tending to prove the above mentioned fact, which is not
so generally known as other facts relating to the Ether.
Until the discovery of Radiant Matter (bringing with it the new theories
of the Corpuscle or Electron, etc.), brushed aside into the dust heap
many generally accepted scientific theories regarding the nature of
Substance, the favorite and most popular theory was what was known as
the "Vortex-ring" theory of the Atom. This theory held that the atoms of
Substance were but vortex-rings of the Ether, having had motion
communicated to them in some way, and which afterwards acquired other
motions, and which finally become apparent to our senses as Substance.
In other words, the Atom was supposed to be a vortex-ring of Ether,
acted upon by Force, in some unknown way, the character, nature and
properties of the Atom being determined by the shape and size of the
vortex-ring; the rate of motion; etc., etc.
The new discoveries of Science, however, have set aside (at least
temporarily) this "vortex-ring" theory, and at present Science seems to
find its "latest thing in Substance," in the theory that Substance--at
the last--seems to be the Corpuscle or Electron. In other words, after
many years of fancied security in a settled theory regarding the nature
of Substance, Science once more finds itself compelled to take up the
search for the origin of things. But the theory of the Ether
remains--and is likely to--although the names applied to it will change.
By some it is still believed that in the Ether, a little further
removed, rests the origin of Substance and that the Corpuscle may be the
"vortex-ring" product, instead of the Atom.
It will be noticed that Science has made no serious attempt to connect
the phenomenon of Gravitation or Attraction with the Ether. Gravitation
stands alone--an "outsider" among the Forces, responding to none of
their laws--needing no time in which to travel--needing no medium like
the Ether in which to transmit "waves"--fearing no obstacle or
interfering body, but passing right through the same--different,
different, different. And we shall see _why_ this difference, when we
reach the point where our theory brings us to the point where we must
substitute "something else" for that Great Paradoxical General Solvent
of Modern Science--the Ether of Aristotle. We shall reach the point
after a brief consideration of Motion, Force and Energy.