In order to eliminate the reference to our perceptions, which introduces
an irrelevant psychological suggestion, I will take a different
illustration, namely, stellar photography. A photographic plate exposed
on a clear night reproduces the appearance of the portion of the sky
concerned, with more or fewer stars according to the power of the
telescope that is being used. Each separate star which is photographed
produces its separate effect on the plate, just as it would upon
ourselves if we were looking at the sky. If we assume, as science
normally does, the continuity of physical processes, we are forced
to conclude that, at the place where the plate is, and at all places
between it and a star which it photographs, SOMETHING is happening which
is specially connected with that star. In the days when the aether was
less in doubt, we should have said that what was happening was a certain
kind of transverse vibration in the aether. But it is not necessary
or desirable to be so explicit: all that we need say is that SOMETHING
happens which is specially connected with the star in question. It
must be something specially connected with that star, since that star
produces its own special effect upon the plate. Whatever it is must be
the end of a process which starts from the star and radiates outwards,
partly on general grounds of continuity, partly to account for the fact
that light is transmitted with a certain definite velocity. We thus
arrive at the conclusion that, if a certain star is visible at a certain
place, or could be photographed by a sufficiently sensitive plate at
that place, something is happening there which is specially connected
with that star. Therefore in every place at all times a vast multitude
of things must be happening, namely, at least one for every physical
object which can be seen or photographed from that place. We can
classify such happenings on either of two principles:
(1) We can collect together all the happenings in one place, as is done
by photography so far as light is concerned;
(2) We can collect together all the happenings, in different places,
which are connected in the way that common sense regards as being due to
their emanating from one object.
Thus, to return to the stars, we can collect together either--
(1) All the appearances of different stars in a given place, or,
(2) All the appearances of a given star in different places.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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