Lotzes Theory of Reality

ty, or to follow a law which can be expressed in mathematical terms. The law which sums up a thing's reality is that which constitutes what is permanent, as distinct from what is changing, in the being of a thing. On account of this permanence, which is characteristic of law, Lotze calls a thing a substance in so far as it can be seen to follow a law. Now substance had been considered as a permanent underlying something in which the changing sense content belonging to a thing could move. It was difficult, however, to see what this permanent element lying by the side of change was, and still more difficult to see how it could perform the function of holding in its being a changing multiplicity of sense. Hence it was not long before such a substance, remaining ever the same and holding together the changing contents of sense, was denied an existence. Nevertheless it was seen that changes in things took place and were somehow or another held in unity; hence the question as to how they were thus held together still called for an answer. The attempt was made to throw this unifying function on to the mind which knows the object. The object was considered as made up of sense qualities, these qualities being really nothing more than ideas in the mind of the one who knows that object. It was held that the mind produces from itself unifying principles which it throws around its ideas, and thus constitutes them permanent groupings of changing sense qualities. This solu...