﻿PKEFACE 
  

  

  IT 
  was 
  evidently 
  tho 
  desire 
  of 
  the 
  founder 
  of 
  the 
  Gifford 
  

   Lectureships 
  in 
  the 
  Scottish 
  Universities 
  that 
  each 
  lecturer 
  

   should, 
  from 
  his 
  own 
  special 
  studies 
  and 
  in 
  his 
  own 
  way, 
  

   endeavour 
  to 
  make 
  some 
  contribution 
  that 
  would 
  help 
  others 
  

   in 
  considering 
  tho 
  highest 
  questions 
  that 
  Man 
  can 
  ask: 
  What 
  

   kind 
  of 
  world 
  is 
  this 
  in 
  which 
  we 
  live 
  a 
  universe 
  or 
  a 
  

   multiverse? 
  How 
  has 
  it 
  come 
  to 
  be 
  as 
  it 
  is? 
  Does 
  it 
  give 
  

   any 
  hint 
  of 
  a 
  purpose? 
  What 
  is 
  Man's 
  place 
  in 
  Nature? 
  

   To 
  what 
  extent 
  does 
  our 
  knowledge 
  of 
  Nature 
  conform 
  with 
  

   our 
  conception 
  of 
  God 
  ? 
  

  

  Lord 
  Gifford 
  contemplated 
  the 
  possibility 
  of 
  very 
  varied 
  

   answers 
  to 
  these 
  and 
  similar 
  questions; 
  he 
  thought 
  it 
  pos- 
  

   sible 
  that 
  some 
  of 
  them 
  might 
  be 
  held 
  to 
  be 
  unanswerable; 
  

   his 
  one 
  stipulation 
  was 
  for 
  reverent 
  study. 
  

  

  Under 
  provisions 
  so 
  liberal, 
  no 
  apology 
  need 
  be 
  made 
  for 
  

   a 
  contribution 
  which 
  is 
  scientific 
  rather 
  than 
  philosophical, 
  

   being 
  in 
  the 
  main 
  confined 
  to 
  the 
  biological 
  outlook. 
  What- 
  

   ever 
  be 
  our 
  philosophical 
  interpretation 
  or 
  our 
  religious 
  con- 
  

   viction, 
  we 
  must 
  admit 
  the 
  desirability 
  of 
  having 
  more 
  than 
  

   a 
  passing 
  acquaintance 
  with 
  the 
  system 
  of 
  things 
  of 
  which 
  

   our 
  everyday 
  life 
  is 
  in 
  some 
  measure 
  part. 
  The 
  idea 
  of 
  

   Nature 
  as 
  a 
  temptress 
  leading 
  man's 
  soul 
  astray 
  has 
  long 
  

   since 
  disappeared, 
  and 
  most 
  of 
  us 
  turn 
  to 
  Nature 
  with 
  ex- 
  

   pectancy, 
  varying 
  with 
  our 
  temperament 
  and 
  experience. 
  

   If 
  the 
  world 
  we 
  call 
  " 
  outer 
  " 
  be 
  in 
  any 
  sense 
  God's 
  creation, 
  

   will 
  it 
  not 
  reveal 
  to 
  us 
  something 
  of 
  Him 
  ? 
  If 
  it 
  be 
  our 
  chief 
  

   end 
  to 
  glorify 
  God, 
  should 
  we 
  not 
  put 
  ourselves 
  in 
  the 
  way 
  

  

  y 
  

  

  