History of scientific ideas

Name: History of scientific ideas
Author: Whewell, William

Whewell, William

Science -- Philosophy

11. Before considering these, therefore, I shall treat of
what I shall call _Secondary Mechanical Sciences_; by which
expression I mean the sciences depending upon certain
qualities which our senses discover to us in
bodies;--_Optics_, which has visible phenomena for its
subject; _Acoustics_, the science of hearing; the doctrine
of _Heat_, a quality which our touch recognizes: to this
last science I shall take the liberty of sometimes giving
the name _Thermotics_, analogous to the names of the other
two. If our knowledge of the phenomena of Smell and Taste
had been successfully cultivated and systematized, the
present part of our work would be the place for the
philosophical discussion of those sensations as the subjects
of science.

The branches of knowledge thus grouped in one class involve
common Fundamental Ideas, from which {290} their principles
are derived in a mode analogous, at least in a certain
degree, to the mode in which the principles of the
mechanical sciences are derived from the fundamental ideas
of causation and reaction. We proceed now to consider these
Fundamental Ideas, their nature, development, and
consequences.




{{291}}
BOOK IV.


THE
PHILOSOPHY
OF THE
SECONDARY
MECHANICAL SCIENCES.




Πάσχοντος γάρ τι τοῦ αἰσθητικοῦ γίνεται τὸ ὁρᾶν· ὑπ' αὐτοῦ
μὲν οὖν τοῦ ὁρωμένου χρώματος ἀδύνατον· λείπεται δὴ ὑπὸ _τοῦ
μεταξύ_, ὥστ' ἀναγκαῖόν τι εἶναι _μεταξύ_· κενοῦ δὲ
γενομένου οὐχ ὅτι ἀκριβῶς, ἀλλ' ὅλως οὐθὲν ὀφθήσεται. δι' ἣν
μὲν οὖν αἰτίαν τὸ χρῶμα ἀναγκαῖον ἐν φωτὶ ὁρᾶσθαι, εἴρηται.
πῦρ δὲ ἐν ἀμφοῖν ὁρᾶται, καὶ ἐν σκότει καὶ ἐν φωτί, καὶ
τοῦτο _ἐξ ἀνάγκης_· τὸ γὰρ διαφανὲς ὑπὸ τούτου γίνεται
διαφανές. ὁ δ' αὐτὸς λόγος καὶ περὶ ψόφου καὶ ὀσμῆς ἐστιν·
οὐθὲν γὰρ αὐτῶν ἁπτόμενον τοῦ αἰσθητηρίου ποιεῖ τὴν
αἴσθησιν, ἀλλ' ὑπὸ μὲν ὀσμῆς καὶ ψόφου _τὸ μεταξὺ_ κινεῖται,
ὑπὸ δὲ τούτου τῶν αἰσθητηρίων ἑκάτερον· ὅταν δ' ἐπ' αὐτό τις
ἐπιθῇ τὸ αἰσθητήριον τὸ ψοφοῦν ἢ τὸ ὄζον, οὐδεμίαν αἴσθησιν
ποιήσει.

ARISTOT. _De Anima_, II. 7.



{{293}} BOOK IV.


THE PHILOSOPHY OF THE SECONDARY MECHANICAL SCIENCES.


CHAPTER I.

OF THE IDEA OF A MEDIUM AS COMMONLY EMPLOYED.

Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.

Opening the text

History of scientific ideasWhewell, William

Philosophy

History of scientific ideas

Whewell, William

Science -- Philosophy

11. Before considering these, therefore, I shall treat of
what I shall call _Secondary Mechanical Sciences_; by which
expression I mean the sciences depending upon certain
qualities which our senses discover to us in
bodies;--_Optics_, which has visible phenomena for its
subject; _Acoustics_, the science of hearing; the doctrine
of _Heat_, a quality which our touch recognizes: to this
last science I shall take the liberty of sometimes giving
the name _Thermotics_, analogous to the names of the other
two. If our knowledge of the phenomena of Smell and Taste
had been successfully cultivated and systematized, the
present part of our work would be the place for the
philosophical discussion of those sensations as the subjects
of science.

The branches of knowledge thus grouped in one class involve
common Fundamental Ideas, from which {290} their principles
are derived in a mode analogous, at least in a certain
degree, to the mode in which the principles of the
mechanical sciences are derived from the fundamental ideas
of causation and reaction. We proceed now to consider these
Fundamental Ideas, their nature, development, and
consequences.




{{291}}
BOOK IV.


THE
PHILOSOPHY
OF THE
SECONDARY
MECHANICAL SCIENCES.




Πάσχοντος γάρ τι τοῦ αἰσθητικοῦ γίνεται τὸ ὁρᾶν· ὑπ' αὐτοῦ
μὲν οὖν τοῦ ὁρωμένου χρώματος ἀδύνατον· λείπεται δὴ ὑπὸ _τοῦ
μεταξύ_, ὥστ' ἀναγκαῖόν τι εἶναι _μεταξύ_· κενοῦ δὲ
γενομένου οὐχ ὅτι ἀκριβῶς, ἀλλ' ὅλως οὐθὲν ὀφθήσεται. δι' ἣν
μὲν οὖν αἰτίαν τὸ χρῶμα ἀναγκαῖον ἐν φωτὶ ὁρᾶσθαι, εἴρηται.
πῦρ δὲ ἐν ἀμφοῖν ὁρᾶται, καὶ ἐν σκότει καὶ ἐν φωτί, καὶ
τοῦτο _ἐξ ἀνάγκης_· τὸ γὰρ διαφανὲς ὑπὸ τούτου γίνεται
διαφανές. ὁ δ' αὐτὸς λόγος καὶ περὶ ψόφου καὶ ὀσμῆς ἐστιν·
οὐθὲν γὰρ αὐτῶν ἁπτόμενον τοῦ αἰσθητηρίου ποιεῖ τὴν
αἴσθησιν, ἀλλ' ὑπὸ μὲν ὀσμῆς καὶ ψόφου _τὸ μεταξὺ_ κινεῖται,
ὑπὸ δὲ τούτου τῶν αἰσθητηρίων ἑκάτερον· ὅταν δ' ἐπ' αὐτό τις
ἐπιθῇ τὸ αἰσθητήριον τὸ ψοφοῦν ἢ τὸ ὄζον, οὐδεμίαν αἴσθησιν
ποιήσει.

ARISTOT. _De Anima_, II. 7.



{{293}} BOOK IV.


THE PHILOSOPHY OF THE SECONDARY MECHANICAL SCIENCES.


CHAPTER I.

OF THE IDEA OF A MEDIUM AS COMMONLY EMPLOYED.

Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.

History of scientific ideas

History of scientific ideas

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