It may be objected that the above is nothing more than a series of imperfectly proved hypotheses. But granting its improbability, it suffices that th… - Ludwig Boltzmann

I propose to answer two questions:—
(1) Is the Theory of Gases a true physical theory as valuable as any other physical theory?
(2) What can we demand from any physical theory?

It can never be proved from the alone, that the minimum function H must always decrease. It can only be deduced from the laws of probability, that if the initial state is not specially arranged for a certain purpose, but haphazard governs freely, the probability that H decreases is always greater than that it increases. It is well known that the theory of probability is as exact as any other mathematical theory, if properly understood. If we make 6000 throws with dice, we cannot prove that we shall throw any particular number exactly 1000 times; but we can prove that the ratio of the number of throws in which that number turns up to the whole number of throws, approaches the more to 1/6 the oftener we throw.

I take my stand before you as a reactionary, a survivor, who is still an enthusiast for the old and the classical as opposed to the modem.