“ In so far as matter may be conceived to exist in a purely passive state, it is, imaginably, older than motion. ”
Thomas Henry Huxley, The Advance of Science in the Last Half-Century (1887). copy citation
| Author | Thomas Henry Huxley |
|---|---|
| Source | The Advance of Science in the Last Half-Century |
| Topic | motion matter |
| Date | 1887 |
| Language | English |
| Reference | |
| Note | |
| Weblink | http://www.gutenberg.org/files/15253/15253-h/15253-h.htm |
Context
“I have pointed out that the growth of clear and definite views respecting the constitution of matter has led to the conclusion that, so far as natural agencies are concerned, it is ingenerable and indestructible. In so far as matter may be conceived to exist in a purely passive state, it is, imaginably, older than motion. But, as it must be assumed to be susceptible of motion, a particle of bare matter at rest must be endowed with the potentiality of motion. Such a particle, however, by the supposition, can have no energy, for there is no cause why it should move.”
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Meaning and analysis
