If we know that the crescent appears only at the beginning of the month, that the moon becomes full only in the middle of it, that a solar eclipse occurs only at conjunction before the crescent appears, and that a lunar eclipse occurs only during the bright nights when the moon is full, this knowledge alone does not enable us to know: Is the crescent rising at this time or not? Is the moon full or not? Is a lunar or solar eclipse occurring, or neither?

Likewise, suppose we know that the sun moves between the first points of Cancer and Capricorn and does not ascend [further]—the former being the limit of its ascent and the latter the limit of its descent—and that its ascent brings summer and its descent brings winter, while we do not know whether it is now summer or winter, or whether the sun is ascending or descending. This universal knowledge provides no knowledge of the sun’s actual states in external reality. It tells us only that the sun does not depart from this universal rule. The same applies to all other universal knowledge.

Knowledge of all occurrences in existence in a universal manner is, however, more comprehensive than knowledge of some of its occurrences. Nevertheless, it contains no knowledge of any particular thing that comes into existence.

Furthermore, this universal knowledge alone is insufficient to bring particular things into existence. A particular thing can only be brought into existence through a particular conception and a particular act of will. Otherwise, someone who wished to honour the righteous, punish the wicked, accept the testimony of upright witnesses, and reject the testimony of false witnesses, without knowing the particular individuals in either group, could carry out none of the general course of action he had resolved upon.