Bridgewater treatises V3, Chalmers 1780-1847

THE BRIDGEWATER TREATISES
ON THE POWER WISDOM AND GOODNESS OF GOD
AS MANIFESTED IN THE CREATION

TREATISE HI
ON ASTRONOMY AND GENERAL PHYSICS
BY THE REV. WILLIAM WHEWELL
[SEVENTH EDITION]


FT H,«C DE UF.O, DK QUO LTIQl F. EX PH^NOMKNIS DISSERFRF AD
PHII.OSOPHIA W NATrUlALEM PERTINET.

NEWTON, CONCLUSION OF THE PRINCIPIA.

C.

WHITTINGHAM, TOOKS COURT, CHANCERY LANE, LONDON.


ASTRONOMY
AND GENERAL PHYSICS
CONSIDERED WITH REFERENCE TO
NATURAL THEOLOGY
BY THE

REV.

WILLIAM WHEWELL MA.

FELLOW AND TUTOR OF TRINITY COLLEGE CAMBRIDGE

A LDI

LONDON
WILLIAM PICKERING
1839


?u

O
5

U^'

y\ J

R
\%'1>H-


TO THE

RIGHT HONOURABLE AND RIGHT REVEREND

CHARLES JAMES,

LORD BISHOP OF LONDON.

MY LORD,

I

OWE

it

to

you

that I

was selected

for the

task attempted in the following pages, a distinction

on

this

which

be honourable

;

and

account alone T should have a peculiar

pleasure

work

dedicating the

in

Lordship.
tion

I feel to

I

do so with additional

on another account

:

to

your

gratifica-

the Treatise has

been written within the walls of the College
of which your Lordship was formerly a resident

member, and

its

merits, if

are mainly due to the spirit
the place.

and .proud

The

society

is

it

have any,

and habits of

always pleased

to recollect that a

person of the


DEDICATION.

VI

eminent talents and high character of yonr
Lordship is one of its members and I am
;

persuaded that any effort in the cause of
letters and religion coming from that quarter,
will have for
you an interest beyond what it

would otherwise possess.

The

subject proposed to

my prescribed

object

is

me was

limited

:

to lead the friends of

religion to look with confidence

and pleasure

on the progress of the physical sciences, by
showing how admirably every advance in our

knowledge of the universe harmonizes with
the belief of a most wise and good God.
To
do

this effectually

be, I trust, a useful

Yet, I feel most deeply, what I

labour.

would take
this,

may

and

all

this

occasion to express, that

that the speculator concerning

Natural Theology can do, is utterly insufficient for the great ends of Religion namely,
for the purpose of reforming men's lives, of
;

purifying and elevating their characters, of
preparing them for a more exalted state of
being.

It is the

need of something

fitted to


DEDICATION.

do

this,

which gives

VU

to Religion its vast

and

and this can, I
incomparable importance
well know, be achieved only by that Re;

vealed Religion of wdiich we are ministers,
but on which the plan of the present Avork
did not allow

me

to dwell.

That Divine Providence

may

labours of your Lordship and of

prosper the

all

who

are

joined with you in the task of maintaining

and promoting this Religion,
earnest wish and prayer of

Your very

is,

my

Lord, the

faithful,

and much obliged Servant,

William Whewell.

Trinity College, Cambridge,

Feb. 25, 1833.

NOTICE.
The

series of Treatises, of

which the present

published under the following circumstances

is

one,

is

:

The Right Honourabi.e and Reverend Francis
Henry, Earl of Bridgewater, died in the month of
and by his last Will and Testament, bearFebruary, 1829
25th
of February, 1825, he directed certain
date
the
ing
Trustees therein named to invest in the public funds the
;

sum

of Eight thousand pounds sterling ; this sura, with
the accruing dividends thereon, to be held at the disposal
of the President, for the time being, of the Royal Society
of London, to be paid to the person or persons nominated
by him. The Testator further directed, that the person or

persons selected by the said President should be appointed
and publish one thousand copies of a work

to write, print,

On

the

Power, Wisdom^ and Goodness of Gody as mani-

fested in the Creation

;

illustrating such

work hy all reasonand formation of

able arguments, as for instance the variety

God^s creatures in the animaly vegetable, and mineral king-

doms ;

the efect

the construction

of

digestion,

the

of
of other arguments

and thereby of conversion

hand of man, and an

;

infnite variety

by discoveries ancient and
modern, in arts, sciences, a?id the whole extent of literature.
He desired, moreover, that the profits arising from the sale
;

as also

of the works so published should be paid to the authors of
the works.


The

President of the Royal Society, Davies Gilbert,
Esq. requested the assistance of his Grace the Archbishop
of Canterbury and of the Bishop of London, in determining
late

upon the best mode of carrying

into effect the intentions of

Acting with their advice, and with the concurrence of a nobleman immediately connected with the

the Testator.

deceased, Mr. Davies Gilbert appointed the following eight
gentlemen to write separate Treatises on the different

branches of the subject as here stated

:

THE REV. THOMAS CHALMERS,

D.D.

PROFESSOR OF DIVINITY IN THE UNIVERSITY OF EDINBURGH.

ON THE POWER, WISDOM, AND GOODNESS OF GOD
AS MANIFESTED IN THE ADAPTATION
OF EXTERNAL NATURE TO THE MORAL AND
INTELLECTUAL CONSTITUTION OF MAN.

JOHN KIDD,

M.D.F.R.

S.

REGIUS PROFESSOR OF MEDICINE IN THE UNIVERSITY OF OXFORD.

ON THE ADAPTATION OF EXTERNAL NATURE TO THE
PHYSICAL CONDITION OF MAN.

THE REV. WILLIAM WHEWELL,

M. A. F.R.S.

FELLOW OF TRINITY COLLEGE, CAMBRIDGE.

ASTRONOMY AND GENERAL PHYSICS CONSIDERED WITH
REFERENCE TO NATURAL THEOLOGY.

SIR

CHARLES

THE HAND:

ITS

BELL, K.G.H. F. R. S. L & E.
MECHANISM AND VITAL ENDOWMENTS
AS EVINCING DESIGN.

PETER

MA R K

FELLOW OF AM) SLCRLIAKY

R O G E T,

M. D.

lO IHl, liOYAL SOCIETY.

ON ANIMAL AND VEGETAKLK PHVSI()LOG\

.


XI

THE REV. WILLIAM

BUCKLA]>^D, D.D. F.R.S.

CANON OF CHRIST CHURCH, AND PROFESSOR OF GEOLOGY
UNIVERSITY OF OXFORD.

IN

THE

ON GEOLOGY AND MINERALOGY.

THE REV. WILLIAM KIRBY,

M.A. I.R.S.

ON THE HISTORY, HABITS, AND INSTINCTS OF ANIMALS.

WILLIAM PROUT,

M.D. F.R.S.

CHEMISTRY, METEOROLOGY, AND THE FUNCTION OF
RE
TO
DIGESTION, CONSIDERED WITH REFERENCE

NATURAL THEOLOGY

His

.

Royal Highness the Duke of Sussex,

Presi-

dent of the Royal Society, having desired that no unnecessary delay should take place in the publication of the

above mentioned Treatises, they
vals, as

will appear at short interthey are ready for publication.



CONTENTS.
[Within the
in this

last

few years, several works have been published

Country on subjects more or

that the Author

less closely

approaching

to

therefore, be not superfluous to say
of the following pages believes that he has not

that here treated.

It

may,

borrowed any of his views or
on Natural Theology.]

illustrations

from recent English

writers

Page

INTRODUCTION.
Chap.

I.

II.

III.

Object of the Present Treatise
On Laws of Nature

1

6

Mutual Adaptation of Laws of Nature ....

IV. Division of the Subject

BOOK

I.

14

Terrestrial Adaptations

CiiAP.

I.

II.

HI.
IV.

V.
VI.
VII.

The
The
The
The
The
The
The

11

17

Length of the Year

21

Length of the Day
Mass of the Earth

42

Magnitude of the Ocean
Magnitude of the Atmosphere
Constancy and Variety of Climates

33

52

54
...

55

Variety of Organization corresponding

10 the Variety of

Climate

62

The Constituents of Climate
The Laws of Heat with respect to the Earth
IX. The Laws of Heat with respect to Water

VIII.

.

.

75
76
80

CONTENTS.

XIV

Page

96

X. The Laws of Heat with respect to Air
XI. The Laws of Electricity
XII. The Laws of Magnetism
Properties of Light

XIII. The

110
113

with

regard to

115

Vegetation

117

XIV. Sound

XV. The Atmosphere
XVI. Light
XVII. The Ether

125
128
138
141

XVIII. Recapitulation

CosMiCAL Arrangements
Chap. I. The Structure of the Solar System
II. The Circular Orbits of the Planets round
Sun
III. The Stability of the Solar System
IV. The Sun in the Centre
V. The Satellites
VI. The Stability of the Ocean

BOOK

VII. The Nebular Hypothesis
VIII. The Existence of a Resisting

BOOK

148

II.

150
the

154
159

169
173
177
181

Medium

in the

Solar System

191

IX. Mechanical Laws
X. The Law of Gravitation
XL The Laws of Motion

210
214
231

XII. Friction

238
251

HI. Religious Views

Chap.

I.

II.

III.

IV.

The Creator of the Physical World
Governor of the Moral World

the

254

268
On the Vastness of the Universe
279
On Man's Place in the Universe
On the Impression produced by the Contemplation

of

Laws of Nature

Conviction that

V.

is

On

Law

Implies

Inductive Habits; or,

sion produced

;

or on the

Mind

293

on the Impres-

on Men's Minds by dis-

covering Laws of Nature

303


CONTENTS.

VI.

On

XV

Deductive Habits; or, on the Impresproduced on Men's Minds by tracing

sion

VII.

VIII.

IX.

the consequences of ascertained Laws.
Final Causes

On
On
On

..

323
342

the Physical Agency of the Deity
3.56
the Impression produced by considering

the Nature and Prospects of Science
or,
on the Impossibility of the Progress of our
;

Knowledge ever enabling us to comprehend the Nature of the Deity
366



ON

ASTRONOMY
AND

GENERAL PHYSICS.

INTRODUCTION.
Chapter

I.

Object of the Present Treatise.

The

examination of the material world brings

number

of things and relations of
things which suggest to most minds the belief of
a creating and presiding Intelligence.
And this

before

iis

a

impression, which arises with the most vague and
superficial consideration of the objects by which
we are surrounded, is, we conceive, confirmed

and expanded by a more exact and profound
study of external nature. Many works have been
written at different times v/ith the view of show-

ing

how our knowledge

of the elements and their

operation, of plants and animals and their construction, may serve to nourish and unfold our


INTRODUCTION.

2

idea of a Creator and Governor of the world.

though

this is the case, a

subject

may

still

have

its

But

new work on the same

Our views of the
use.

Creator and Governor of the world, as collected
from or combined with our views of the world

undergo modifications, as we are led by

itself,

new

discoveries,

new

generalizations, to regard

new light. The conceptions concernthe
ing
Deity, his mode of effecting his purposes,
the scheme of his government, which are suggested
by one stage of our knowledge of natural objects
nature in a

and

operations,

may become

or incongruous,
later period,

if

adhered

manifestly imperfect
and applied at a

to

when our acquaintance with

the

immediate causes of natural events has been
On this account it may be
greatly extended.

show how
the views of the creation, preservation, and government of the universe, which natural science opens
interesting, after

such an advance,

to

harmonize with our belief in a Creator,

Governor, and Preserver of the world. To do this

to us,

with respect

to certain

departments of Natural

Philosophy is the object of the following pages;
and the author will deem himself fortunate, if
he succeeds

removing any of the difficulties
and obscurities which prevail in men's minds,
from the want of a clear mutual understanding
between the religious and the scientific speculator.
It is needless here to remark the necessarily imperfect and scanty character of Natural Religion
in

;


3

OBJECT.

most persons will allow that, however imperfect
may be the knowledge of a Supreme Intelligence

which we gather from the contemplation of the
for

natural world,

it is still

of most essential use and

And

our purpose on this occasion is, not
to show that Natural Theology is a perfect and
value.

satisfactory scheme, but to bring up our Natural
Theology to the point of view in which it may

be contemplated by the aid of our Natural Philosophy.
Now the peculiar point of view which at present

belongs to Natural Philosophy, and especially to
the departments of it which have been most successfully cultivated,

an object of
facts

is,

that nature, so far as

it is

scientific research, is a collection of

governed by laws : our knowledge of nature

our knowledge of laws; of laws of operation and
connexion, of laws of succession and co-existence,
is

among
around
to

the various elements and appearances
And it must therefore here be our aim

us.

show how

this

view of the universe

falls in

with

our conception of the Divine Author, by whom
we hold the universe to be made and governed.

Nature

acts hy general laivs ; that is, the occurrences of the world in which we find ourselves,

from causes which operate according to
and constant rules. The succession of days,
and seasons, and years, is produced by the motions of the earth
and these again are governed
the
attraction
of the sun, a force which
by

result

fixed

;


4

INTRODUCTION.

acts with undeviating steadiness

and

regularity.

The changes

of winds and skies, seemingly so
capricious and casual, are produced by the operation of the sun's heat upon air and moisture,

land and sea

;

and though

in this case w^e

cannot

trace the particular events to their general causes,
as we can trace the motions of the sun and moon,

no philosophical mind will doubt the generality
and fixity of the rules by which these causes

The

variety of the effects takes place, because the circumstances in different cases vary
act.

;

and not because the action of material causes
leaves anything to chance in the result. And
again, though the vital movements which go on
in the frame of vegetables and animals depend on
agencies still less known, and probably still more
complex, than those which rule the weather, each
of the powers on which such movements depend
has its peculiar laws of action, and these are as
universal and as invariable as the law by which
a stone falls to the earth when not supported.

The world then
and

in order to

governed by general laws
collect from the world itself a
is

;

judgment concerning the nature and character
of its government, we must consider the import
and tendency of such laws, so far as they come
under our knowledge. If there be, in the administration of the universe, intelligence and
benevolence, superintendence and foresight,
grounds for love and hope, such qualities may

OBJECT.

5

be expected to appear in the constitution and
combination of those fundamental regulations by

which the course of nature is brought about, and
made to be what it is.
If a man were, by some extraordinary event,
to find himself in a remote and unknown country,
so entirely strange to him that he did not know
whether there existed in it any law or government at all he might in no long time ascertain
whether the inhabitants were controlled by any
;

superintending authority and with a Jittle attenhe might determine also whether such autho;

tion

were exercised with a prudent care for the
happiness and well being of its subjects, or
without any regard and fitness to such ends

rity

;

whether the country were governed by laws at

And
all, and whether the laws were good.
he
which
found
thus
according to the laws
preof
the
and
he
vA^ould
the
vailing,
judge
sagacity,
purposes of the legislative power.
By observing the laws of the material universe

and

their operation,
similar manner, to

we may hope,
be able

in a

somewhat

our judgment concerning the government of the universe
concerning the mode in which the elements are
to direct

:

regulated and controlled, their effects combined
and balanced. And the general tendency of the
results thus produced may discover to us some-

thing of the character of the power which has
legislated for the material world.


6

INTRODUCTION.

We

are not to push too far the analogy thus

suggested. There is undoubtedly a wide difference between the circumstances of man legislating
for

man, and God

we

shall, it

Still
legislating for matter.
will appear, find abundant reason to

admire the wisdom and the goodness which have
established the Laivs of Nature, however rigorously

we may

scrutinize the import of this ex-

pression.

Chapter

On Laws

When we

II.

of Nature^

speak of material nature as being

governed by laws, it is sufficiently evident that
we use the term in a manner somewhat meta-

The laws

phorical.

to

which man's attention

is

primarily directed are moral laws; rules laid
down for his actions ; rules for the conscious actions of a person

he

;

rules which, as a matter of

transgress ; the
latter event being combined, not with an imposBut the Laws of
sibility, but with a penalty.
possibility,

may obey

or

may

Nature are something different from
are rules for that which things are
suffer
theirs.

in

;

and

this

They

by no consciousness

are rules

which things do act

;

this; they
to

do and

or will of

describing the mode
they are invariably


ON LAWS OF NATURE.
obeyed

their transgression is not punished,

;

The language

excluded.

shall not kill
is,

7

a stone

;

ivill

of a moral law

the language of a
fall to the earth.

Law

is,

it is

man

of Nature

These two kinds of laws direct the actions of
persons and of things, by the sort of control of
w^hich persons and things are respectively susceptible

but

it

;

so that the

metaphor

proper
metaphor, in order that

hend what

is

very simple

for us to recollect that

is

is

implied

in

it

is

;

a

we may

clearly apprespeaking of the Laws

of Nature.

In this phrase are included all properties of
the portions of the material world all modes of

;

action and rules of causation, according to which

they operate on each other. The whole course
of the visible universe therefore is but the collective result of

such laws

;

its

movements

are only

the aggregate of their working. All natural occurrences, in the skies and on the earth, in the

organic and in the inorganic world, are determined by the relations of the elements and the
actions of the forces of w hich the rules are thus

prescribed.

The

relations

and rules by w^hich these occur-

rences are thus determined necessarily depend
on measures of time and space, motion and force
;

on quantities which are subject to numerical
measurement, and capable of being connected by
mathematical properties.
And thus all things


INTRODUCTION.

8
are ordered
''

by number and weight and measure.

" works
God/' as was said by the ancients,
by

the legislation of the material uniof
necessarily delivered in the language

geometry
verse

is

:"

mathematics; the

stars in their courses are re-

and
gulated by the properties of conic sections,
and
the winds depend on arithmetical
geometrical progressions of elasticity and pressure.
The constitution of the universe, so far as

it

can be clearly apprehended by our intellect, thus
assumes a shape involving an assemblage of macertain algebraical forthematical propositions
mulse, and the knowledge when and how to apply them, constitute the last step of the physical
:

science to which

we can

attain.

The

labour and

the endowments of ages have been employed in
bringing such science into the condition in which
it

now

exists

:

and an exact and extensive

disci-

pline in mathematics, followed by a practical
and profound study of the researches of natural
philosophers, can alone put any one in possession
of all the knowledge concerning the course of the

material world, which

is at

present open to man.

general impression, however, which arises
from the view thus obtained of the universe, the

The

results

which we

scrutiny of

its

from the most careful
administration, may, we trust, be
collect

rendered intelligible without this technical and
laborious study, and to do this is our present
object.


ON LAWS OF NATUiJE.
It will

which

be our business

to

9

show that the laws

really prevail in nature are,

by their fonn,
that is, by the nature of the connexion which
they establish among the quantities and properties which they regulate, remarkably
adapted to
the office which is assigned them and thus offer
evidence of selection, design, and goodness, in
the power by which they were established.
But
;

these characters of the legislation of the universe
may also be seen, in many instances, in a manner

somewhat

The

different

from the selection of the law.

nature of the connexioji remaining the same,

the quantities which

magnitude bear
For the law
purpose.

their

regulates may also in
marks of selection and

it

may be

the

same while

the quantities to which it applies are different.
The law of the gravity which acts to the earth

and

the same

but the intensity of
the force at the surfaces of the two planets is difto Jupiter, is

;

ferent.
The law which regulates the density of
the air at any point, with reference to the height
from the earth's surface, would be the same, if
the atmosphere were ten times as large, or only

one tenth as large as

it is

;

if

the barometer at the

earth's surface stood at three inches only, or

if it

showed a pressure of

Now
law
in

thirty feet of mercury.
this being understood, the adaptation of a

to its purpose, or to other laws,

two ways:

or in the

— either

in the

may appear
form of the law,

amount of the magnitudes which

it