170 THE POPULAR SCIENCE MONTHLY 



atoms. Hence, when we speak of a physico-chemical inquiry or phenomenon 

 we might justly describe it briefly as physical (in the wider sense).' 



But " in the wider sense " all natural phenomena are physical. 

 Thus we have the psychophysics of Fechner and Weber, and the social 

 physics of Comte and Quetelet. Comte classed chemistry as one of the 

 divisions of terrestrial physics, as if chemical phenomena were limited 

 to the earth ! In our classification we use the term physical in the nar- 

 row sense, and the science of physics is regarded as dealing with the 

 molecular and molar movements of matter, that is, with physical 

 changes no matter where they take place. These changes are preceded 

 in the evolutionary process by the phenomena due to atomic affinities 

 and combinations. Chemistry, therefore, should precede and not follow 

 physics in a comprehensive genetic classification of the sciences. We 

 thus make it first in the order of our classification, since its phenomena 

 and forces are first in the order of time. 



It would be interesting, perhaps, to continue farther an analysis of 

 the sciences in order to show where some of the more familiar of the 

 special sciences belong. Chemistry obviously falls into the two divi- 

 sions, inorganic and organic. Physics may quite as obviously be divided 

 into molecular and molar physics. The former division includes such 

 sciences as thermology, electrology, etc., while under the latter, since it 

 includes the study of all phenomena occasioned by the gravic forces, 

 must necessarily fall such sciences as barology and astronomy, or at 

 least that part of astronomy known as astrophysics. Geology, the sci- 

 ence of the earth, a planet, belongs properly, as was said before, under 

 astronomy. The general science of biology is the synthesis of four great 

 special sciences, namely, protistology, phytology, zoology and anthro- 

 pology. Psychology is individual and social. Finally, sociology 

 should fall into the special sciences of the respective social groups, but 

 the terminology is wanting. The special social sciences, as, for in- 

 stance, history, politics, political economy, jurisprudence, etc., while 

 they properly belong under sociology, are coordinate so far as the re- 

 spective fields of their phenomena are concerned, and are consequently 

 not subject to arrangement on the basis of their own genetic relation- 

 ships. 



It would be difficult, however, if not impossible, to arrange dia- 

 grammatically the special sciences without cumbersome repetition, 

 even if one possessed the requisite knowledge. Each branch of a science 

 may be a contributor to a special science. Each division of biology, for 

 instance, has its own morphological and physiological sciences. An 

 attempt at such an arrangement, with existing scientific nomenclature, 

 would involve extensive neologism. 



T Haeckel, "The Wonders of Life," New York, 1905, p. 88. 



