Roger Cotes Quotes & Sayings

But shall gravity be therefore called an occult cause, and thrown out of philosophy, because the cause of gravity is occult and not yet discovered? Those who affirm this, should be careful not to fall into an absurdity that may overturn the foundations of all philosophy. For causes usually proceed in a continued chain from those that are more compounded to those that are more simple; when we are arrived at the most simple cause we can go no farther ... These most simple causes will you then call occult and reject them? Then you must reject those that immediately depend on them. — Roger Cotes

Those who assume hypotheses as first principles of their speculations ... may indeed form an ingenious romance, but a romance it will still be. — Roger Cotes