Next, if we reason upon Mr Mill's theory as to Cause, certainly those who deny his theory can have no difficulty in conceiving events without any cause (in that sense): nor have those who adopt this theory any greater difficulty. These latter _believe_ that there are, throughout, constant and uniform conditions on which the occurrence of every event depends; but they can perfectly _conceive_ events as occurring without any such uniform sequence. In truth, the belief in such causation, as pervading _all nature_, is an acquired result of scientific training. The greater part of mankind believe that some events occur in regular, others in irregular succession. Moreover, a full half of the metaphysical world espouse the doctrine of free-will, and consider that all volitions occur without any cause at all.] [Footnote 14: Among the various authorities (upon this question of quantifying the predicate) collected by Sir W. Hamilton in the valuable Appendix to his 'Lectures on Logic,' we find one (p. 311) which takes the same ground of objection as Mr Mill, in these words:--'The cause why the quantitative note is not usually joined with the predicate, is, that there would thus be two _quæsita_ at once; to wit, whether the predicate were affirmed of the subject, and whether it were denied of everything beside. For when we say, _all man is all rational_, we judge that _all man is rational_, and judge likewise _that rational is denied of everything but man_. But these are, in reality, two different _quæsita_; and therefore it has become usual to state them, not in one, but in two several propositions. And this is self-evident, seeing that a _quæsitum_, in itself, asks only--_Does or does not this inhere in that?_ and _not_ Does or does not this inhere in that, _and at the same time inhere in nothing else?_' The author of this just and sagacious remark--much surpassing what the other writers quoted in the Appendix say--was a Jew who died at Perpignan in or near 1370, named Levi Ben Gerson or Gersonides. An interesting account of this man, eminent as a writer and thinker in his age, will be found in a biography by Dr Joel, published at Breslau in 1862, 'Levi Ben Gerson als Religions--philosoph.' He distinguished himself as a writer on theology, philosophy, and astronomy; he was one of the successors to the free speculative vein of Maimonides, and one of the continuators of the Arabic Aristotelian philosophy. He both commented on and combated the doctrines of Averroes. Dr Joel thinks that he died earlier than 1370.] End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of Review of the Work of Mr John Stuart Mill Entitled, 'Examination of Sir William Hamilton's Philosophy.', by George Grote