群众从未渴求过真理，他们对不合口味的证据视而不见。假如谬误对他们有诱惑力，他们更愿意崇拜谬误。
The present state of the system of nature is evidently a consequence of what it was in the preceding moment, and if we conceive of an intelligence which at a given instant comprehends all the relations of the entities of this universe, it could state the respective positions, motions, and general effects of all these entities at any time in the past or future.
阈限性是两个阶段之间的过渡状态，个体不再处于前一个状态，但尚未进入下一个状态。