The Concept of Nature: The Tarner Lectures Delivered in Trinity College, November 1919Whitehead, Alfred North
Philosophy
The Concept of Nature: The Tarner Lectures Delivered in Trinity College, November 1919
Whitehead, Alfred North
Knowledge, Theory of; Nature; Science -- Philosophy
The new theory provides a definition of the congruence of periods of
time. The prevalent view provides no such definition. Its position is
that if we take such time-measurements so that certain familiar
velocities which seem to us to be uniform are uniform, then the laws of
motion are true. Now in the first place no change could appear either as
uniform or non-uniform without involving a definite determination of the
congruence for time-periods. So in appealing to familiar phenomena it
allows that there is some factor in nature which we can intellectually
construct as a congruence theory. It does not however say anything about
it except that the laws of motion are then true. Suppose that with some
expositors we cut out the reference to familiar velocities such as the
rate of rotation of the earth. We are then driven to admit that there is
no meaning in temporal congruence except that certain assumptions make
the laws of motion true. Such a statement is historically false. King
Alfred the Great was ignorant of the laws of motion, but knew very well
what he meant by the measurement of time, and achieved his purpose by
means of burning candles. Also no one in past ages justified the use of
sand in hour-glasses by saying that some centuries later interesting
laws of motion would be discovered which would give a meaning to the
statement that the sand was emptied from the bulbs in equal times.
Uniformity in change is directly perceived, and it follows that mankind
perceives in nature factors from which a theory of temporal congruence
can be formed. The prevalent theory entirely fails to produce such
factors.
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