Eureka: A Prose Poem — Edgar A. Poe, 1848 — reading text

power (pre sumed to be the Divine Volition) — in other words, a cer- tain/orce — whose measure is the quantity of matter — that THEUNIVEHSE. 55 is to say, the number of atoms — emitted ; emits, by irradia tion, this certain number of atoms ; forcing them in all directions outwardly from the centre — their proximity to each other diminishing as they proceed — until, finally, they are distributed, loosely, over the interior surface of the sphere. When these atoms have attained this position, or while proceeding to attain it, a second and inferior exercise of the same force — or a second and inferior force of the same character — emits, in the same manner — that is to say, by irradiation as before — a second stratum of atoms which proceeds to deposit itself upon the first ; the number of atoms, in this case as in the former, being of course the measure of the force which emitted them ; in other words the force being precisely adapted to the purpose it effects — the force and the number of atoms sent out by the force, being directly proportional. When this second stratum has reached its destined posi tion — or while approaching it — a third still inferior exertion of the force, or a third inferior force of a similar character — the number of atoms emitted being in all cases the mea sure of the force — proceeds to deposit a third stratum upon the second : — and so on, until these concentric strata, grow ing gradually less and less, come down at length to the central point ; and the diffusive matter, simultaneously with the diffusive force, is exhausted. We have now the sphere filled, through means of irra diation, with atoms equably diffused. The two necessary conditions — those of irradiation and of equable diffusion — • are satisfied ; and by the sole process in which the possibi- 56 E U B, E K A . lity of their simultaneous satisfaction is conceivable. For this reason, I confidently expect to find, lurking in the pre sent condition of the atoms as distributed throughout the sphere, the secret of which I am in search — the all-import ant principle of the modus operandi of the Newtonian law. Let us examine, then, the actual condition of the atoms. They lie in a series of concentric strata. They are equably diffused throughout the sphere. They have been irradiated into these states. The atoms being equably distributed, the greater the superficial extent of any of these concentric strata, or spheres, the more atoms will lie upon it. In other words, the number of atoms lying upon the surface of any one of the concentric spheres, is directly proportional with the ex tent of that surface. But, in any series of concentric spheres, the surfaces are directly proportional with the squares of the distances from the centre* Therefore the number of atoms in any stratum is direct ly proportional with the square of that stratum's distance from the centre. But the number of atoms in any stratum is the measure of the force which emitted that stratum — that is to say, is directly proportional with the force. Therefore the force which irradiated any stratum is directly proportional with the square of that stratum's dis tance from the centre : — or, generally, The force of the irradiation has been directly propor tional with the squares of the distances. * Succinctly — The surfaces of spheres are as the squares of their radii. THE UNIVERSE. 57 Now, Reaction, as far as we know anything of it, is Action conversed. The general principle of Gravity being, in the first place, understood as the reaction of an act — as the expression of a desire on the part of Matter, while ex isting in a state of diffusion, to return into the Unity whence it was diffused ; and, in the second place, the mind being called upon to determine the character of the desire — the manner in which it would, naturally, be manifested ; in other words, being called upon to conceive a probable law, or modus operandi, for the return ; could not well help arriving at the conclusion that this law of return would be precisely the converse of the law of departure. That such would be the case, any one, at least, would be abundantly justified in taking for granted, until such time as some per son should suggest something like a plausible reason why it should not be the case — until such period as a law of return shall be imagined which the intellect can consider as pre ferable. Matter, then, irradiated into space with a force varying as the squares of the distances, might, a priori, be supposed to return towards its centre of irradiation with a force varying inversely as the squares of the distances : and I have already shown* that any principle which will explain why the atoms should tend, according to any law, to the general centre, must be admitted as satisfactorily explaining, at the same time, why, according to the same law, they should tend each to each. For, in fact, the tendency to the general centre is not to a centre as such, but because of its being a point in tending towards which each atom tends * Page 44. 3* 58 EUREKA. most directly to its real and essential centre, Unity — the absolute and final Union of all. The consideration here involved presents to my own mind no embarrassment whatever — but this fact does not blind me to the possibility of its being obscure to those who may have been less in the habit of dealing with abstrac tions : — and, upon the whole, it may be as well to look at the matter from one or two other points of view. The absolute, irrelative particle primarily created by the Volition of God, must have been in a condition of positive normality, or rightfulness — for wrongfulness implies rela tion. Right is positive ; wrong is negative — is merely the negation of right ; as cold is the negation of heat — darkness of light. That a thing may be wrong, it is necessary that there be some other thing in relation to which it is wrong — some condition which it fails to satisfy ; some law which it violates ; some being whom it aggrieves. If there be no such being, law, or condition, in respect to which the thing is wrong — and, still more especially, if no beings, laws, or conditions exist at all — then the thing cannot be wrong and consequently must be right. Any deviation from normality involves a tendency to return into it. A difference from the normal — from the right — from the just — can be under stood as effected only by the overcoming a difficulty ; and if the force which overcomes the difficulty be not infinitely continued, the ineradicable tendency to return will at length be permitted to act for its own satisfaction. Upon withdrawal of the force, the tendency acts. This is the principle of reaction as the inevitable consequence of finite action. Employing a phraseology of which the seeming THE UNIVERSE. 59 affectation will be pardoned for its expressiveness, we may say that Reaction is the return from the condition of as it is and ought not to be into the condition of as it was, ori ginally, and therefore ought to be : — and let me add here that the absolute force of Reaction would no doubt be always found in direct proportion with the reality — the truth — the absoluteness — of the originality — if ever it were possible to measure this latter : — and, consequently, the greatest of all conceivable reactions must be that produced by the tendency which we now discuss — the tendency to return into the absolutely original — into the supremely primitive. Gravity, then, must be the strongest of forces — an idea reached a priori and abundantly confirmed by induction. What use I make of the idea, will be seen in the sequel. The atoms, now, having been diffused from their normal condition of Unity, seek to return to what ? Not to any particular point, certainly ; for it is clear that if, upon the diffusion, the whole Universe of matter had been pro jected, collectively, to a distance from the point of irradi ation, the atomic tendency to the general centre of the sphere would not have been disturbed in the least : — the atoms would not have sought the point in absolute space from which they were originally impelled. It is merely the condition, and not the point or locality at which this con dition took its rise, that these atoms seek to re-establish ; — it is merely that condition which is their normality, that they desire. " But they seek a centre," it will be said, " and a centre is a point/' True ; but they seek this point not in its character of point — (for, were the whole sphere moved from its position, they would seek, equally, the cen- EUREKA. tre ; and the centre then would be a new point) — but be cause it so happens, on account of the form in which they collectively exist — (that of the sphere)— that only through the point in question — the sphere's centre — they can attain their true object, Unity. In the direction of the centre each atom perceives more atoms than in any other direc tion. Each atom is impelled towards the centre because along the straight line joining it and the centre and passing on to the circumference beyond, there lie a greater number of atoms than along any other straight line — a greater number of objects that seek it, the individual atom — a greater num ber of tendencies to Unity — a greater number of satisfactions for its own tendency to Unity — in a word, because in the direction of the centre lies the utmost possibility of satis faction, generally, for its own individual appetite. To be brief, the condition, Unity, is all that is really sought ; and if the atoms seem to seek the centre of the sphere, it is only impliedly, through implication — because such centre hap pens to imply, to include, or to involve, the only essential centre, Unity. But on account of this implication or invo lution, there is no possibility of practically separating the tendency to Unity in the abstract, from the tendency to the concrete centre. Thus the tendency of the atoms to the general centre is, to all practical intents and for all logical purposes, the tendency each to each ; and the tendency each to each is the tendency to the centre ; and the one tendency may be assumed as the other ; whatever will apply to the one must be thoroughly