An incorporeal field of influence, or immaterial body could not perform these functions because they have no physical construction with which to perform these functions. Following Newton, it became customary to accept action at a distance as brute fact, and to overlook the philosophical problems involved in so doing.
The inability of intangible forces to perform actions due to their lack of physical structure is the central point being discussed. The acceptance of action at a distance as a fact, despite philosophical concerns, is also highlighted.