Evolution; Knowledge, Theory of; Philosophy and religion
To say that Space and Time exist objectively, is to say that they are
entities. The assertion that they are non-entities is self-destructive:
non-entities are non-existences; and to allege that non-existences exist
objectively, is a contradiction in terms. Moreover, to deny that Space
and Time are things, and so by implication to call them nothings,
involves the absurdity that there are two kinds of nothing. Neither can
they be regarded as attributes of some entity; seeing, not only that it
is impossible really to conceive any entity of which they are
attributes, but seeing further that we cannot think of them as
disappearing, even if everything else disappeared; whereas attributes
necessarily disappear along with the entities they belong to. Thus as
Space and Time cannot be either non-entities, nor the attributes of
entities, we have no choice but consider them as entities. But
while, on the hypothesis of their objectivity, Space and Time must be
classed as things, we find, on experiment, that to represent them in
thought as things is impossible. To be conceived at all, a thing must be
conceived as having attributes. We can distinguish something from
nothing, only by the power which the something has to act on our
consciousness; the several affections it produces on our consciousness
(or else the hypothetical causes of them), we attribute to it, and call
its attributes; and the absence of these attributes is the absence of
the terms in which the something is conceived, and involves the absence
of a conception. What now are the attributes of Space? The only one
which it is possible for a moment to think of as belonging to it, is
that of extension; and to credit it with this implies a confusion of
thought. For extension and Space are convertible terms: by extension, as
we ascribe it to surrounding objects, we mean occupancy of Space; and
thus to say that Space is extended, is to say that Space occupies Space.
How we are similarly unable to assign any attribute to Time, scarcely
needs pointing out. Nor are Time and Space unthinkable as entities
only from the absence of attributes; there is another peculiarity,
familiar to readers of metaphysics, which equally excludes them from the
category. All entities which we actually know as such, are limited; and
even if we suppose ourselves either to know or to be able to conceive
some unlimited entity, we of necessity in so classing it positively
separate it from the class of limited entities. But of Space and Time we
cannot assert either limitation or the absence of limitation. We find
ourselves totally unable to form any mental image of unbounded Space;
and yet totally unable to imagine bounds beyond which there is no Space.
Similarly at the other extreme: it is impossible to think of a limit to
the divisibility of Space; yet equally impossible to think of its
infinite divisibility. And, without stating them, it will be seen that
we labour under like impotencies in respect to Time.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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