That ideas can nowise be connected without continuity is sufficiently
evident to one who reflects upon the matter. But still the opinion may
be entertained that after continuity has once made the connection of
ideas possible, then they may get to be connected in other modes than
through continuity. Certainly, I cannot see how anyone can deny that the
infinite diversity of the universe, which we call chance, may bring ideas
into proximity which are not associated in one general idea. It may do
this many times. But then the law of continuous spreading will produce a
mental association; and this I suppose is an abridged statement of the
way the universe has been evolved. But if I am asked whether a blind
ἀνάγκη cannot bring ideas together, first I point out that it would not
remain blind. There being a continuous connection between the ideas, they
would infallibly become associated in a living, feeling, and perceiving
general idea. Next, I cannot see what the mustness or necessity of this
ἀνάγκη would consist in. In the absolute uniformity of the phenomenon,
says the nominalist. Absolute is well put in; for if it merely happened
so three times in succession, or three million times in succession, in
the absence of any reason, the coincidence could only be attributed to
chance. But absolute uniformity must extend over the whole infinite
future; and it is idle to talk of that except as an idea. No; I think we
can only hold that wherever ideas come together they tend to weld into
general ideas; and wherever they are generally connected, general ideas
govern the connection; and these general ideas are living feelings spread
out.