THE LIBERTY OF SCIENCE IX THE MODERN STATE. 



299 



least in pathology, and more especially in human 

 pathology. I may remark here that in both re- 

 lations I still to-day consider this phrase a per- 

 fectly correct one. But after I had promulgated 

 this doctrine, and had formulated the origin of the 

 cell from the cell, others were not wanting who 

 extended this phrase not only in the organic world 

 far beyond the limits assigned by me, but who 

 put it down as generally valid even beyond the 

 limits of organic life. I have received the most 

 wonderful communications, both from America 

 and Europe, in which the whole of astronomy 

 and geology was based upon the cellular theory, 

 because it was thought impossible that what was 

 decisive for the life of organic nature upon this 

 earth should not be equally applicable to the 

 heavenly bodies — they, too, being round bodies, 

 which had shaped themselves into globes and 

 represented so many cells flying about in univer- 

 sal space and playing a part there similar to that 

 of the cells in our body. 



I cannot pronounce these men to have been 

 all arrant fools and simpletons. Indeed, from 

 some of their arguments, I have conceived the 

 idea that many of them were men of education, 

 who had studied much, and at last had attacked 

 the problems of astronomy, but who could not see 

 that the adaptation (Zweckmcissigkeit) of heaven- 

 ly phonomena to their ends should have a differ- 

 ent basis from that of man's organization. Henoe, 

 in their pursuit of a monistic conception, they 

 reached the conclusion that the heavens, too — 

 nay, even that the whole universe — must be an 

 organism adapted to ends, and that the only prin- 

 ciple governing it must be the cell-principle. I 

 cite this only in order to show what shape things 

 take outside, how " theories " are enlarged, and 

 how our own doctrines may return to us in a form 

 fearful to ourselves. Now, only imagine how the 

 theory of descent may be shaped to-day in the 

 head of a socialist ! 



Indeed, gentlemen, this may seem ridiculous 

 to many, but it is very serious, and I only hope 

 that the theory of descent may not produce those 

 horrors in our country which similar theories 

 have actually brought to our neighbors. Any- 

 how this theory, if carried through to its conse- 

 quences, has an extremely dangerous side, and that 

 the socialists have a certain notion of it already, 

 you will doubtless have remarked. We must 

 make this quite clear to ourselves. 



Nevertheless, be the matter as dangerous as 

 it may, the confederates as bad as possible, and 

 yet I say, from the moment when we are con- 

 vinced that the theory of descent is a doctrine 



perfectly proved, so certain that we could swear 

 by it, that we could say, thus it is — from that 

 moment we must not hesitate to introduce it into 

 general life, transmit it not only to every educat- 

 ed person, but teach it to every child, make it the 

 basis of our whole conception of the universe, of 

 society, and of the state, and found our educa- 

 tional system upon it. This I consider a neces- 

 sity. 



In saying this I am not at all afraid of the re- 

 proach which, to my astonishment, has made a 

 great noise in my Prussian Fatherland, while I 

 was absent in Russia : I mean the reproach of half- 

 knowledge. Strange to say, it was one of our so- 

 called liberal journals which asked the question 

 whether the great errors of our time, and social- 

 ism in particular, were not based upon the diffu- 

 sion of half-knowledge. With reference to this I 

 would like to state here, in the midst of the Nat- 

 uralists' meeting, that all human knowledge is only 

 piece-work. All of us who call ourselves natural- 

 ists, only possess fragments of natural science ; 

 none of us is able to come here and represent 

 with equal right every one of the sciences, or par- 

 ticipate in the discussions of every one of the 

 sections. On the contrary, it is just because they 

 have developed themselves in a certain one-sided 

 direction, that we esteem specialists so highly. 

 Outside of our respective specialties, our science 

 is half-knowledge. It were much to be desired 

 if we could only succeed in diffusing this half- 

 knowledge more and more, if we could succeed in 

 causing at least the majority of educated persons 

 to progress far enough to be able to survey the 

 principal directions which the several departments 

 of natural science are taking, and to follow their 

 development without meeting difficulties too great 

 to be overcome, so that they might at least be 

 aware of the general progress of science, if, in- 

 deed, they were not acquainted, at every moment, 

 with the totality of all single and special proofs. 

 We do not get much further ourselves. I, for 

 instance, have honestly tried during my life to 

 obtain chemical knowledge ; I have even worked 

 in a laboratory ; but I feel quite incompetent 

 to sit down at some chemical meeting without 

 preparation, and to discuss modern chemistry in 

 all directions. Nevertheless, I am able to pene- 

 trate, after a time, so far into any chemical novel- 

 ty that it does not strike me as incomprehensible. 

 But I must always first acquire this understand- 

 ing, I have not got it to start with ; and when I 

 want it again I must acquire it again. That 

 which honors me is the knowledge of my igno- 

 rance. The most important part is that I know 



