Abstract

The sixth chapter of _ERCE_ begins by distinguishing and criticizing six different and mutually incompatible definitions of ‘life’ that Shepherd identifies in William Lawrence’s _Lectures on Physiology, Zoology, and the Natural History of Man_. It then provides Shepherd’s own positive view of life, as a quality originating ultimately from God and mixing with matter to produce a living thing. In this respect, it is analogous to a spark that must be added to combustible materials in order to produce an ongoing fire. Next, it offers eight propositions in summary of the account of causation provided in previous chapters of _An Essay upon the Relation of Cause and Effect_, and it further diagnoses Lawrence’s alleged errors about that relation. It concludes by describing the most fundamental principles of _ERCE_ as the “true foundations of scientific research, practical knowledge, and belief in a creating and presiding Deity.”