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THE POPULAR SCIENCE MONTHLY.— SUPPLEMENT. 



provinces of anatomy and physiology. Perhaps 

 he will permit me to inform him that physiology 

 is the science which treats of the functions of the 

 living organism, ascertains their coordinations 

 and their correlations in the general chain of 

 causes and effects, and traces out their depend- 

 ence upon the physical states of the organs by 

 which these functions are exercised. The ex- 

 planation of a physiological function is the dem- 

 onstration of the connection of that function with 

 the molecular state of the organ which exerts the 

 function. Thus the function of motion is ex- 

 plained when the movements of the living body 

 are found to have certain molecular changes for 

 their invariable antecedents ; the function of sen- 

 sation is explained when the molecular changes, 

 which are the invariable antecedents of sensa- 

 tions, are discovered. 



The fact that it is impossible to comprehend 

 how it is that a physical state gives rise to a men- 

 tal state no more lessens the value of the expla- 

 nation in the latter case than the fact that it is 

 utterly impossible to comprehend how motion is 

 communicated from one body to another weak- 

 ens the force of the explanation of the motion 

 of one billiard-ball by showing that another has 

 hit it. 



The finest spiritual sensibility, says Mr. Har- 

 rison (and I think that there is a fair presump- 

 tion that he is right), is a function of a living or- 

 ganism — is in relation with molecular facts. In 

 that case, the physiologist may reply: "It is my 

 business to find out what these molecular facts 

 are, and whether the relation between them and 

 the said spiritual sensibility is one> of antecedence 

 in the molecular fact, and sequence in the spirit- 

 ual fact, or vice versa. If the latter result comes 

 out of my inquiries, I shall have made a contri- 

 bution toward a moral theory of physical phe- 

 nomena; if the former, I shall have done some- 

 what toward building up a physical theory of 

 moral phenomena. But in any case I am not 

 outstepping the limits of my proper province : 

 my business is to get at the truth respecting such 

 questions at all risks ; and if you tell me that one 

 of these two results is a corrupting doctrine, I 

 can only say that I perceive the intended reproach 

 conveyed by the observation, but that I fail to 

 recognize its relevance. If the doctrine is true, 

 its social septic or antiseptic properties are not 

 my affair. My business as a biologist is with 

 physiology, not with morals." 



This plea of justification strikes me as com- 

 plete ; whence, then, the following outbreak of 

 angry eloquence ? — 



"The arrogant attempt to dispose of the deepest 

 moral truths of human nature on a bare physical 

 or physiological basis is almost enough to justify 

 the insurrection of some impatient theologians 

 against science itself. " • 



" That strain again : it has a dying fall ; " no- 

 wise similar to the sweet south upon a bank of 

 violets, however, but like the death-wail of innu- 

 merable "impatient theologians" as from the 

 high " drum ecclesiastic " they view the waters 

 of science flooding the Church on all hands. The 

 beadles have long been washed away ; escape by 

 pulpit-stairs is even becoming doubtful, without. 

 kirtling those outward investments which distin- 

 guish the priest from the man so high that no 

 one will see that there is anything but the man 

 left. But Mr. Harrison is not an impatient theo- 

 logian — indeed, no theologian at all, unless, as he 

 speaks of "soul" when he means certain bodily 

 functions, and of "future life" when he means 

 personal annihilation, he may make his master's 

 grand etre supreme the subject of a theology ; 

 and one stumbles upon this well-worn fragment 

 of too familiar declamation among his vigorous 

 periods with the unpleasant surprise of one who 

 finds a fly in a precious ointment. 



There are people from whom one does not ex- 

 pect well-founded statement and thoughtful, how- 

 ever keen, argumentation, embodied in precise 

 language. From Mr. Harrison one docs. But I 

 think he will be at a loss to answer the question, 

 if I pray him to tell me of any representative of 

 physical science who, either arrogantly or other- 

 wise, has ever attempted to dispose of moral 

 truths on a physical or physiological basis. If I 

 am to take the sense of the words literally, I 

 shall not dispute the arrogance of the attempt 

 to dispose of a moral truth on a bare, or even on 

 a covered, physical or physiological basis ; for, 

 whether the truth is deep or shallow, I cannot 

 conceive how the feat is to be performed. Co- 

 lumbus's difficulty with the egg is as nothing to it. 

 But I suppose what is meant is, that some arro- 

 gant people have tried to upset morality by the 

 help of physics and physiology. I am sorry if 

 such people exist, because I shall have to be 

 much ruder to them than Mr. Harrison is. I 

 should not call them arrogant, any more than I 

 should apply that epithet to a person who at- 

 tempted to upset Euclid by the help of the Rig- 

 Veda. Accuracy might be satisfied, if not pro- 

 priety, by calling such a person a fool ; but it 

 appears to me that it would be the height of in- 

 justice to term him arrogant, 

 i P. 242. 



