The unseen universe, or, physical speculations on a future state.

  • Balfour Stewart
Date:
1875
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: The unseen universe, or, physical speculations on a future state. Source: Wellcome Collection.

    188/268 page 168
    But again let us realise the position in which we are placed by the principle of Continuity—we are led by it not only to regard the invisible universe as having existed before the present one, but the same principle drives us to acknowledge its existence in some form as a universe from all eternity. Now we can readily conceive a universe containing conditioned intelligent beings to have existed before the present; nay, to have existed for a time greater than any assignable time, which is the only way in which our thoughts can approach the eternal. But is it equally easy to conceive a dead universe to have existed in the same way during immeasurable ages ? Is a dead universe a fully conditioned universe ? For, regarding the laws of the universe as those laws according to which the intelligences of the universe are con- ditioned by the Governor thereof, can we conceive a dead universe to exist permanently without some being to be conditioned ? Is not this something without meaning, an unreality—a make-believe ? And if it be said that under these circumstances the conception in any form of immeasur- able ages of time is unreal, we may reply by granting it, and asserting that in such a case we are driven not merely from the fully conditioned to the partially conditioned, but even to the unconditioned; in other words, the hypothesis of a permanently dead universe would hardly appear to satisfy the principle of Continuity, which prefers to proceed from one form of the fully conditioned to another. 215. For the benefit of our readers we shall now endea- vour to review as clearly as we can the point at which we have arrived, and the steps which have brought us to it. It will be remembered that in our definition (Art. 54) we agreed to look upon the Creator—the Absolute One, as
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