登陆注册
15400000000029

第29章

From all this it is clear that the theory that the movement of the stars produces a harmony, i.e.that the sounds they make are concordant, in spite of the grace and originality with which it has been stated, is nevertheless untrue.Some thinkers suppose that the motion of bodies of that size must produce a noise, since on our earth the motion of bodies far inferior in size and in speed of movement has that effect.Also, when the sun and the moon, they say, and all the stars, so great in number and in size, are moving with so rapid a motion, how should they not produce a sound immensely great?

Starting from this argument and from the observation that their speeds, as measured by their distances, are in the same ratios as musical concordances, they assert that the sound given forth by the circular movement of the stars is a harmony.Since, however, it appears unaccountable that we should not hear this music, they explain this by saying that the sound is in our ears from the very moment of birth and is thus indistinguishable from its contrary silence, since sound and silence are discriminated by mutual contrast.What happens to men, then, is just what happens to coppersmiths, who are so accustomed to the noise of the smithy that it makes no difference to them.But, as we said before, melodious and poetical as the theory is, it cannot be a true account of the facts.There is not only the absurdity of our hearing nothing, the ground of which they try to remove, but also the fact that no effect other than sensitive is produced upon us.Excessive noises, we know, shatter the solid bodies even of inanimate things: the noise of thunder, for instance, splits rocks and the strongest of bodies.But if the moving bodies are so great, and the sound which penetrates to us is proportionate to their size, that sound must needs reach us in an intensity many times that of thunder, and the force of its action must be immense.

Indeed the reason why we do not hear, and show in our bodies none of the effects of violent force, is easily given: it is that there is no noise.But not only is the explanation evident; it is also a corroboration of the truth of the views we have advanced.For the very difficulty which made the Pythagoreans say that the motion of the stars produces a concord corroborates our view.Bodies which are themselves in motion, produce noise and friction: but those which are attached or fixed to a moving body, as the parts to a ship, can no more create noise, than a ship on a river moving with the stream.

Yet by the same argument one might say it was absurd that on a large vessel the motion of mast and poop should not make a great noise, and the like might be said of the movement of the vessel itself.But sound is caused when a moving body is enclosed in an unmoved body, and cannot be caused by one enclosed in, and continuous with, a moving body which creates no friction.We may say, then, in this matter that if the heavenly bodies moved in a generally diffused mass of air or fire, as every one supposes, their motion would necessarily cause a noise of tremendous strength and such a noise would necessarily reach and shatter us.Since, therefore, this effect is evidently not produced, it follows that none of them can move with the motion either of animate nature or of constraint.It is as though nature had foreseen the result, that if their movement were other than it is, nothing on this earth could maintain its character.

That the stars are spherical and are not selfmoved, has now been explained.

同类推荐
  • 最上乘论

    最上乘论

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。
  • 药征续编

    药征续编

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。
  • 江邻幾杂志

    江邻幾杂志

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。
  • 王梵志诗集

    王梵志诗集

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。
  • 罗氏识遗

    罗氏识遗

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。
热门推荐
  • 鬼案迷踪

    鬼案迷踪

    一件件离奇的案件背后到底隐藏着怎样的阴谋?拨开迷雾,他看到的真相到底是什么?背叛?手段?他到底会迎来什么样的结局?
  • 市长的幸福生活

    市长的幸福生活

    无限好书尽在阅文。
  • 荒镇岁月

    荒镇岁月

    我于1998年离开小镇。那年我中考。复习功课的间歇,常把视线投向窗外,看到对面楼里的她和他,站在相邻的阳台上聊天。她非常的白,他很爱笑。那时候,我尚对别人有观察、研究的兴趣。三年前,我和她在一所辅导学校里邂逅,成为了朋友,话题常围绕着现已埋在高速公路之下的小镇。出于某些感念,我问她介不介意以她的故事为主线写一篇小说。她不介意,“二十年前的事对我来说已跟前世一样了。”
  • 魂落长安:倾世鬼妻买一送一

    魂落长安:倾世鬼妻买一送一

    一夜阴差阳错的风流结果,她被一双紫眸的主人缠上了。他能见鬼,能碰鬼。正因为如此,对她来说诸多不利。这不,她被吃干净了,顺势附送了一枚不寻常的拖油瓶。千山寺一次意外,她对白家怪物一见钟情。娘说,姑娘家要矜持,可是,她若于矜持,她的夫君就要跑了。吾有两张不同的脸,吾是鬼之时,乃倾国倾城,凡人之吾乃清秀灵动。相公,你喜欢哪个呢?
  • 戏如画,言似锦

    戏如画,言似锦

    平静的日子被打破,前世今朝,是否有你无法自拔的爱情?是前世的记忆还是后世的续缘?戏子无情却也坚强和软弱的一面…等待他的发掘…
  • 如有来世,请让友谊永不断

    如有来世,请让友谊永不断

    她,懦弱总是被人欺负。每次都是她的朋友,帮她。她们很要好。她,成了魔女。而她为了她不在是人类.....老天不让她们的友谊长青.......
  • 东方春日大作战

    东方春日大作战

    不可思议的幻想乡的日常。幻想乡已经进入春天了呢~
  • 羌希暗夜之夫君快到碗里来

    羌希暗夜之夫君快到碗里来

    “你就是灵界的耻辱!”她是被老灵王定为最卑贱的族人,在灵界遭受着白眼和嘲讽。遇见他,不知是命运的眷顾还是作弄。护法?灵杖的主动契约?魔王示爱?寻找河罗门?只是为了离他更近。越靠近他,为什么身世的秘密就越多人知晓?!大战四起,神兽被灭,被追杀,,封印被冲破,她觉醒与四界为敌。他说:谁敢伤害她的性命,我便让谁陪葬!谁敢拆散我们,我就吞了谁的祖魂!这一世,下一世,生生世世,她都是我的妻!
  • 魔清流

    魔清流

    仙魔,于我而言,不值一提。在我于所有人嫌恶之时,你许我生生世世,那我为你捅破这九重天又有何妨!为你,我愿倾尽所有,只盼那一袭白衣回首于尘世!
  • 娱乐圈之天生绝配

    娱乐圈之天生绝配

    娱乐圈传奇萧墨,16岁拿了所有新人奖,次年专辑过200万,登上巨蛋,成为最年轻的登台艺人,两年后拿视帝后却选择退隐,现在携女主陈曦回归,从此踏上了他们爱与荣耀的征程,有了属于他们的甜蜜时光。ps.1v1绝对宠文,结局HE.亲们,你们懂得,赶快支持支持。