Chapter 21 Section 08

twenty five (4) Subtle instances—this is also called a dim instance, which is almost the opposite of a striking instance.In such cases the nature in question is exhibited in its lowest strength, as if in its cradle and half-developed; Efforts, but are buried, suppressed by the opposite nature.But such examples also greatly assist in the discovery of procedures.For just as striking instances tend to lead to species distinctions, so subtle instances are best at pointing to so-called classes, that is, to common qualities, some of which are cited as particular episodes in them. included. for example.Suppose that the property in question is that of solidity, that is, that of a body which determines its own shape, and that it is the exact opposite of fluidity. ① Here, the so-called subtle cases are those showing a certain weak and low degree of solidification in the fluid.For example, air bubbles in water are a solid film with a certain shape formed by the object of water.A similar example is dripping water from the eaves.If there is water continuing to fall behind, the water droplets will form a thin line to maintain the continuity of the water; if the water does not continue, they will drip in round spots, and this shape is also the best to avoid the loss of continuity of the water.

②And whenever the stream stops and drops begin, the water itself must retract upwards so as not to be interrupted.Another example is that molten metal is also fluid but more viscous, and its molten droplets tend to escape to the top layer and stick there.Another somewhat similar instance is the mirrors which children make out of rushes and spittle, where also a solid film of water is seen.Another child's game expresses this better, that is, by making the water sticky with soap, and blowing on the reed pipe, the water is blown into a kind of palace of bubbles, which, by the participation of air, solidifies. enough to be thrown quite far without breaking. ③ But the best performances are frost and snow, both of which are formed of water, both of which are liquid, but they are so solidified that they can almost be cut with a knife. ④All these facts suggest in no uncertain terms that both solidity and flux are vulgar concepts, relative to the senses; while the fact is that there is in all bodies a tendency to avoid interruption; but this This tendency is weak in homogeneous objects (such as fluid) ⑤, but it is more active and strong in heterogeneous compound objects. Disintegration and relaxation of objects. ① Fleur pointed out that the words "fluid" and "liquid" are used interchangeably in Bacon, but in our terms, the former refers to species (including gases), and the latter refers to species.Bacon's so-called fluid refers only to liquid; gas is included in the so-called "gas-like objects", as opposed to the so-called "touchable objects".See Volume 2, Article 40 and "Historical Records of Concentration and Dilution". - translator

②Kachin notes, refer to the fifth type of movement in Volume 2, Article 48, namely 'continuous movement'. Fleur notes that the circle is due to the adhesion of molecules in water.He quoted Ganot as saying: "In a large volume of liquid, gravity prevails over the force of adhesion, so the liquid itself is amorphous, and only takes the shape of the container as its shape. In a smaller volume, the force of adhesion prevails, so the liquid It is round. Dewdrops have this shape on plant leaves; they also have this shape when a liquid is added to a solid that cannot be wetted, such as when mercury is added to wood. You can also experiment with water, put some This shape can also be seen when liquefied powder such as stone pine powder or lamp soot is sprinkled on the wood, and then a few drops of water are added." See "Physics", the first and second editions of the English translation, Section 84. - translator

③If silkworm cocoons are soaked in water, they can be blown into a far more sticky and tougher air bubble. Porter in his treatise on 'Silkwork' Some strange experiments on this subject are mentioned in his writings. ④ Fleur pointed out that Bacon did not notice that probably any object can become solid, liquid or gas under the condition of sufficient increase or decrease in temperature.See the relevant notes under Article 33 of Volume II. - translator ⑤ Fleur pointed out that Bacon was wrong in thinking that liquids have more homogeneity than solids.The reason why the adhesive force is stronger in a solid than in a liquid is that its energy rate is offset by the repelling force from heat, which decreases with the increase of temperature.Adhesive force is by no means greater in heterogeneous objects than in homogeneous objects. Its force is between molecules of the same nature. - translator

Take another example.Suppose that the property cited is attraction, that is, the property of bodies moving towards each other.In the process of investigating this property, one of the most noteworthy examples is the lodestone.But there is also a property opposite to attraction, that is, non-attraction, which exists between similar substances.For example, iron does not attract iron, lead does not attract lead, wood does not attract wood, and water does not attract water.The subtle instance at hand here is a magnet mounted with iron, or rather the iron in a magnet thus mounted.It is a fact in nature that a loaded magnet does not attract iron more strongly than a non-loaded magnet at a distance.But if the iron is brought close to the place where it is in contact with the iron in the magnet filled with iron, it will be seen that the magnet loaded with iron can pull a much greater weight of iron than the magnet without iron loaded.This is because the two iron systems belong to the same plastid.But this movement in iron is completely invisible until the magnet is applied.

① From this we see that the act of copulation is active and strong in the magnet, but weak and latent in the iron.There is another example.We have seen that a small wooden arrow without an iron head, sent through a heavy mechanism, penetrates deeper into wood (such as the edge of a wooden ship, etc.) than the same arrow with an iron head.This is also due to the fact that the two wood systems belong to the same plastid. ②But this nature in the wood has obviously been hidden all the time.There is also another example.Although air and air, or water and water, do not visibly attract each other when viewed from the object as a whole, one bubble is more likely to disintegrate when the other bubble is near than when the other bubble is far away.

This is also due to the desire for intercourse between water and water and air and air. ③It should be noted that this subtle instance (which, as I have already said, is the most signifying) is most prominently exhibited in the small and subtle parts of objects, on the grounds that the larger volume is To follow the more general procedure.This will be addressed in due course. ④①Before publication, Galileo had already explained that the poles work by producing a more perfect contact. Vol. 440). (Fuller pointed out that the facts are true, but the reason given is purely imaginary. The real reason why the magnetic force increases by means of poles is in Ganot's "Physics"

(First and second editions, section 718) Instructions can be found.This example is completely wrong. - translator ) ② Fleur commented that according to Professor Clifton, if the facts stated by Bacon are correct, it may be due to the fact that wooden arrows are lighter and therefore travel at a higher speed; Big. - translator ③Fuller pointed out that the two bubbles contact and break or sometimes come together. This may be due to many reasons, and the attraction of capillary is one of them. - translator ④Refer to the seventh type of movement in the 48th article of the second volume, that is, the "grand convergence movement". - translator

twenty six (5) Cases composed of resources—this is also called a hand-made case. ① Such instances form a narrower form of a single class of the properties cited. Since the true formula (which is always reciprocal with the given properties) lies deep and is not easy to find, the circumstances of the matter and the fragility of the human understanding call for certain formulas2—that is To bring together some group of instances (though not all) to form some common concept - don't ignore the past, but pay careful attention to it.For whatever unites some qualities, even if not completely, paves the way for the discovery of the formula.Instances which are useful on this point therefore have a power not to be despised, and enjoy a certain priority. ① Kachin quoted Herschel’s words as a commentary: “In Bacon’s classification, the so-called collective instances are nothing more than some universal facts, or laws with a certain degree of universality, which are themselves inductive. Result" see (Tractatus 194).He also pointed out that in Bacon's system, it seems very difficult to understand how properties can have so-called narrower and larger forms.Regardless of his pursuit method, these examples are indeed the most valuable.It is strange, however, that Kepler's three laws had already been published at that time, but Bacon did not quote them.Those laws were examples of what he was talking about collectively, and helped Newton later discover the more general law of gravitation.Bacon never used mathematics as an example, and rarely used the discoveries of his contemporaries as an example. - translator

② Fleur commented that the so-called narrower or specific formulas here are equivalent to the so-called lowest-level axioms or some lower-level intermediate principles in the first volume (for example, see volume 104).They are, so to speak, definitions of a quality in terms of its generic (though still general) instances.See the end of this article. - translator But great vigilance must be exercised here, and the human understanding must not be allowed to rest contented after discovering the many specific formulas and establishing the divisions and divisions of the properties mentioned, not only not Refuge went on to seek a qualified discovery of the large formula, but instead decided that nature is multi-faceted and separated, and thus rejected or cast aside any further work on combining properties as superfluous refinement and tending to abstraction.

for example.Assume that the nature mentioned is memory, ① or something that stimulates and helps memory.These are the examples of so-called energy composition here: First, order or configuration, which obviously helps memory.The second is the borrowing or the so-called "location" in the artificial memory.This "place" can be interpreted according to the original meaning of the word, that is, by the door, in the corner of the wall, under the window, etc.; it can also be some familiar and well-known people, or any other pleasing things ( As long as they are placed in some order), such as animals, plants, words, letters, characters in plays, great men of history, and others, although they vary in their degree of utility and convenience.This artificial location is a marvelous aid to memory, elevating it far above its natural capacity.The third is rhyme; rhyme is easier to read and remember than prose.From this group of three cases, order, artificial place, and rhyme, a class of aids to memory is formed.This category may rightly be called the cut-off of infinity.For when we try to recall a thing, that is to say, to bring it to mind again and again, if we have no preconceived idea or perception of what we are looking for, we have to search here and there, wandering endlessly, wandering here and there, as if is in infinite space.But if there is any definite pre-existing conception, infinity is cut off at once, and memory need not travel so far.And the above three cases point out this pre-existing concept very clearly and definitely.The first case says that it must be something in order; the second case says that it must be an image that has a certain consistency with a fixed place; the third case says that it must be Ye Yun’s characters : In this way, the infinity is cut off.It has been said that such a group of instances constitutes this first category. ② There are other cases which point us to the second kind of aids to memory, such as those which unite intellectual concepts with the senses (which is the most common method in mnemonics). .Other instances may form a third class, that is to say, those things which are impressed by strong emotions, such as arousing terror, awe, shame, joy, etc., which also aid memory.There are also some cases that point out the fourth category to us, that is to say, when things are imprinted on the human mind, it is mainly when the human mind is clear and pure before and after feeling, and there is nothing lingering in it, just like the things I learned when I was a child. Things thought about before, and things encountered for the first time, are the longest preserved in memory.There are other cases that make up the fifth category of help, that is, if there is a group of situations or points that can be grasped, it is also helpful for memory; There are syllables, that's all.Finally, there are instances which point us to a sixth category, namely, that things which are expected and brought to attention are retained in memory longer than those which pass by quickly; Twenty times, it is not easy to remember; but if you try to memorize it every once in a while, and read the original book when you can't remember it, you can remember it after reading it only ten times.To sum up, it can be seen that there are six narrow ways to help memory: The first is the cutting off of infinity; the second is the reduction of intellectual things to sensory things; the third is the impressions felt by the mind under strong emotions; the fourth is the impressions felt by the mind in an empty and idle state; the fifth is graspable A group of dots; six is ​​the anticipation in advance. Take another example.The quality now cited is taste or taste.Here, the following examples are the so-called examples of energy-capital composition.Those who are born without a sense of smell cannot perceive or distinguish fishy or rancid food by taste, nor can they perceive or distinguish food spiced with garlic or rose, etc.The same applies to those whose nostrils are occasionally blocked by catarrh.Also, like the catarrh patients mentioned above, if they forcefully wake up their nose when smelly or fragrant food is in their mouth and palate, they will be able to perceive the smell or fragrance immediately. ④These cases then give such a class, or rather a branch, which also constitutes taste, that is to say, what is called taste is partly nothing but an inner sense of smell, which descends from the upper opening of the nose to the mouth. and palate. ⑤But on the other hand, tastes such as sweet, salty, bitter, spicy, sour, astringent, etc. are perceived by those who lack or have a blocked sense of smell as well as others.Taken together, we can see that the so-called taste is a compound of an inner sense of smell and a fine power of touch. ⑥ Regarding the latter point, I won’t talk about it here. ① Fleur pointed out that this example is quite meaningful when viewed in connection with Article 127 of Volume 1, which shows that Bacon's example is no longer limited to the scope of his philosophical reform, which is usually called natural philosophy. Bacon's general doctrine of memory and aids to memory, see his other work "De Augmentis Scientiarum" Chapter Five of Volume Five. Some of the psychic phenomena described here, as well as some of the artificial aids to memory, can now be explained by the doctrine of Association of Ideas. - translator ② Fleur pointed out that this category is called "mark" in the book "De Augmentis Scientiarum", and the description is more detailed than here, and there are examples.See end of volume five. - translator ③ Fleur notes that this phenomenon probably arises from the fact that we repeatedly return to those thoughts during sleep, although we have forgotten them when we wake up.This belongs to the class of phenomena that Leibnitz calls "foggy thoughts," Hamilton calls "secret mental variants," Carpenter calls "unconscious brain activity," and Lewes more properly calls For "subconscious".In sleep the mind is actually still exerting its powers, although man has completely forgotten this exertion; our ability to arouse from sleep at the appointed time is a good and common example. - translator ④ Fleur commented that these cases may be slightly exaggerated; but as far as they are true, they can be explained by a passage from Bain: "The so-called taste, as the name suggests, only affects the taste nerve, so regardless of the opening and closing of the nostrils All the same. But many odorous things are also aromatic. During exhalation accompanied by chewing, especially when swallowed immediately after swallowing, molecules of aroma are brought into the nasal cavity, thereby affecting the sense of smell, or making it The aroma can be felt. This result is what we call aroma. Some things, such as cinnamon, when chewed, do not give off a taste but only a smell, in other words, only one aroma." See "Senses and Intellect" , Third Edition, pp. 158-159. - translator ⑤ Fleur points out that it must be remembered, however, that though the senses of smell and taste are closely related, and though the two organs are closely related, they are still quite distinct from each other. - translator ⑥Fleur notes that the way in which the senses of taste and smell act on the organs is still unclear, but probably each is a chemical action.As for the sense of touch, it is, of course, the common condition of all the five external senses, although they differ in character, and although they are not reciprocally reducible to one another. - translator There is another example.The properties cited are assumed to be transport properties without mixing plastids.Here the instance of light gives or constitutes one species of this transport, and heat and magnetism the other.Because the transmission of light is temporary, once the original light is removed, the transmission stops immediately. 1 Whereas heat and magnetism, when once transmitted to, or rather excited by, a body, remain there for a considerable time after the source of motion has been removed. ① Kachin states that light does not remain in the air, and the heat is blocked by the air.See Volume 2, Article 3, and Item 5 for examples. - translator In conclusion, the case of composition is of great priority, since it is of great use both in the formation of definitions (especially specific ones) and in the nature of divisions and divisions.On this point, Plato has a very good saying. He said: "Anyone who knows how to define and how to divide should be regarded as a god." ①①See "Phaedrus" in Plato's "Dialogues", 266B. 27① (6) Similar cases or analogous cases—this is also called parallels, or similarities in shape and quality. ② This kind of example shows the similarity and connection of things, but it is not shown in a narrower format (like the case of energy composition), but only in specific things.This instance is therefore, so to speak, the first and lowest step towards the union of qualities.Nor does it constitute a principle directly from the outset, but simply points out and marks a certain consistency between objects.Though it is of little use in discovering formulas, it is very helpful in showing the structure and dissecting of the parts of the universe; and it is from here that it often leads us to noble and noble principles, especially To that principle which deals with the structure of the world and not with simple forms and mere qualities. ① Kachin noted that the five priority cases from six to ten are of a preparatory nature, they should be at the forefront when exploring nature, and they are also oriented to action or practice.See Volume 2, Article 32.He added there that, even so, it is difficult to understand why Bacon placed them in this place. - translator ②Kachin commentary says that the so-called similar cases are such facts that they have some similarities with each other in some specific things rather than in their more general laws.For example, Harvey (W. Harvey, 1578-1657 A.D., a famous British doctor) discovered blood circulation because of the similarity between the valve in the hydraulic machine and the heart valve, and the structure of the achromatic lens. It is based on the similarity between the human eye and the telescope, all of which belong to this case.See Bacon's other book "Advancement of Learning", page 130. - translator for example.The mirror and the eye, the structure of the ear and the valley that transmits the echo, these are examples of correspondence.From this correspondence, not to mention the usefulness in many respects of the mere observation of the resemblance of things, it is easy to detect and form the principle that the sense organs and the bodies which produce reflections to the senses have different properties. above are similar. And on the basis of this suggestion, the understanding easily rises to a higher and nobler principle, namely: There is no difference between the sympathy or sympathy between bodies possessing sensations and between inanimate bodies without sensations, except that an animal spirit is added to bodies of the same nature in the former, while the latter does not. .Hence we go on to say: The senses of animals may be as great as the sympathy between inanimate bodies, if they are perforated so widely that the animal spirit may pass freely into any suitably endowed limb as well as into a suitably organ.We may also say that as much as there are senses in animals, there is no doubt as much motion in inanimate bodies lacking animal spirits, though the latter must necessarily be much more numerous than the former because of the small number of sense-organs. A notable example of this is pain.There are many kinds of pain in animals (burning pain of one kind, pain of extreme cold another, pain of pricking, pinching, rolling, etc.), and all these, as movement , no doubt also exist in the abiotic body.Like wood and stone, for example, when they are burned, or frozen, or chiseled, chopped, folded, and rolled, though they cannot feel because they lack the spirit of animals. There are also cases (which may seem a little strange) of the same genus for the roots and branches of plants.All vegetable matter expands and spreads its parts to the surface, upwards and downwards alike.There is no other difference between the root and the branch, except that the former is buried in the ground, while the latter is exposed to the air and sunlight. ②If we press a tender and thriving branch into a pit, although it does not stick to the soil, it immediately takes root instead of branches.On the contrary, if the soil is covered on it, and stones or other hard objects are pressed to prevent it from growing upward, then it will grow downward in the air. ① Kachin noted that there is a detailed discussion in Article 40 of the second volume on the so-called animal essence. - translator ② Kachin pointed out that this cannot explain the origin of gems: gems are derived from crystallization. - translator There are also examples of gums that are compatible with gemstones in most rocks.For both are nothing but the exudate and filter of the sap: ①The former comes from the tree, the latter from the rock; and both are brilliant and clear because of the fine filter.This is also the reason why the feathers of animals are generally not so beautiful and colorful as the feathers of birds, because the sap is not so finely filtered through the skin as through the quills. There are also cases where the scrotum of men and the uterus of women are compatible.It may be said that the only great difference in the organism between the sexes (at least as far as land animals are concerned) appears to be that one organ is external and the other internal. ②That is to say, males have greater heat to push the reproductive organs out; while women's heat is too weak to do so, so the organs are enclosed inside. ① See Galen's "De Usu Partium", Volume 14, Chapter 6. (Fleur says this imagination is unfounded. - Translator ) ② This statement seems to come from a passage of the same meaning written by Telesius, see "De Rerum Natura", Volume VI, Chapter 18.The first person to say this was actually Galen, and Telesius extended his words. Also the fins of fish are associated with the feet of quadrupeds, or the feet and wings of birds. There are many plants whose stems grow partly underground; and there are others whose roots are at least partly above ground. of.The real distinction between roots and stems is in the functions of these two organs.There are no analogues (except in special cases) of buds or nodules in the roots, so there are no true twigs. Example; ① Aristotle also added the quadruple fold in the movement of snakes. ②From this we can see that in the structure of the universe, the movement of all creatures is generally carried out with four limbs or four kinds of bending. ① Fleur pointed out that the analogy with birds, fish, and quadrupeds is correct. Both Aristotle and Pliny said this. See Chapter 5 of Volume 1 of "Historia Animalium" by Aristotle, and Section 73 of Chapter 20 of Volume 9 of "Natural History" by Pliny. - translator ② See Chapter 7 of Volume 1 of "De Insessu Animalium" by Aristotle. (Kachin pointed out that Aristotle was wrong to add this; and Bacon's inference here was also hasty and rash. - Translator ) There are also cases where the teeth of land animals and the beaks of birds also belong to the same category.From this we can clearly see that all complete animals have a requirement, that is, there must be some kind of hard plastid in the mouth. It is not absurd to say that there is also an inverted similarity or similarity between humans and plants.In animals, the roots of the nerves and faculties are in the head, while the spermatozoa are in the lowest part, excluding the extremities of the legs and arms. In plants it is just reversed, with the roots (corresponding to heads) normally always at the bottom and the seeds at the top. ①① On the other hand, one can also trace similarities between the flowers in plants and the skulls in humans and vertebrates in general: both appear at the top of the developmental axis, and both have four segments , that is, the spiral ring or the spine. And the most striking analogy between plants and animals lies in the way in which their tissues develop, which, it is reasonable to believe, were first formed by cells.The favorable evidence for this proposition is perhaps not yet very complete.It is strange that, when this has been established in plants, Schleiden thinks that in the unity of the original structure of species, he finds that vegetable life has its own unique properties.Thus, the analogy between plants and animals seems to be broken by this discovery. In conclusion, I do not hesitate to instruct you that the labors of men in the investigation and collection of natural history should henceforth be entirely altered, and should be turned in the opposite direction from what is at present being done.Much, if not excessive, labor has hitherto been devoted to observing the variety of things, to accounting for the precise species distinctions of animals, grasses, and fossils, much of which is rather a game of nature. , is of no real use to science.Such things are certainly entertaining, and sometimes even practical, but they are of little or no use when it comes to penetrating into nature.Men's labors, therefore, should be turned to investigate and observe the resemblance and resemblance between things, both in parts as well as in wholes.Only investigation and observation in these respects detects the unity of nature and lays a foundation for the establishment of science. ①①Kachin commented that this section of Bacon's advice is inconsistent with the five or five articles in the first volume.Bacon himself liked similar things, so he said this; as far as physics is concerned, attention to difference can learn more than attention to similarity. - translator But here a strict and earnest caveat must be given, namely, that only those instances which indicate (as I said at the outset) a similarity of form and quality count as congruent or analogous instances.That is to say, such instances must point to real, substantive, well-founded resemblances in nature, not accidental or mere superficial resemblances, let alone writers of natural illusions (some The very superficial should hardly be connected with that superstitious or grotesque resemblance which is everywhere flaunted; which they describe or sometimes Even some similarities and sympathies between fabricated things are not real at all. Leaving these aside.It cannot be overlooked that the structure of the world itself presents instances of agreement in its larger parts. Take, for example, the situation between the regions of Africa and Peru, with the continent jutting out into the Straits of Magellan. These two great tracts of land have here and there similar isthmuses and similar promontories, which cannot be said to be pure out by chance. ①①Kachin noted that all countries have terrains that point to the south, like Japan, South America, India, and Africa. This is a fact in nature and has often been noticed by people. - translator There is also the Old World and the New World, which are also broad and broad in the north and narrow and sharp in the south. ①①Fuller pointed out that the two sets of facts are true, but for different reasons, so in fact they cannot be consistent cases. There is also a pair of very striking correspondences, namely, the coldness that exists in the so-called middle world of the air and the fire that often breaks out from the ground.Both are so-called apexes or extremes: one is the cold extreme towards the sky, and the other is the hot extreme towards the hinterland, ① both are due to the opposite and mutually exciting effects of opposing properties. Finally, there are some instances of agreement among scientific principles that are worth noting.For example, in rhetoric, the metonymy of strange peaks protruding unexpectedly is similar to the sudden change of tune in music scores; The assumption of equality" is also consistent with the syllogism rule in logic that connects two propositions by using the middle word. ②①Kachin commentary states that the reason why this pair of facts is called an analogy is that the increase or decrease of their opposites is regular: The deeper it goes into the earth, the hotter it will be, and the higher it goes to the sky, the colder it will be. - translator ② Fleur pointed out that, generally speaking, it is more accurate to say that this should be called an axiom. - translator Humboldt (A. von Humboldt) once pointed out that the two sides of the Atlantic Ocean have similarities, that is, the protruding points on this bank roughly correspond to the concave points on the other bank.Bacon compares the coast of Africa with the coast of America here, not by comparing their opposite and corresponding points, but by comparing their congruent and equivalent points. For example, the angle of Concepcion is equivalent to the angle of Negro; but the parallelism is not strictly consistent. To sum up, if we have a certain degree of sensitivity in investigating and hunting for the similarity and similarity between things, it will be of great use in many plots. ①①Kachin pointed out that the seventh, eighth, and ninth cases seem to be grouped under one category: what is called a unique case in terms of category is called a case of infidelity in terms of individual things, and cross-border The rare cases are offshoots of unique cases, i.e., no more than episodes in which two species cross each other. - translator