Nature of the Universe 9 



When you consider this, you see that the biologist 

 has access to his material in two ways. On the one hand, 

 he examines it as does the physicist his material ; he 

 observes it, experiments with it, analyzes it, deter- 

 mines its physical texture and properties, its chemical 

 nature. He captures a frog, dissects it, makes muscle 

 preparations, times their contractions, measures the 

 elasticity of the material, studies the proteins of which 

 the muscle is composed. He collects beetles and butter- 

 flies, pins them in a box and shows them to his friends. 

 He gets a group of Homo sapiens into a room and 

 watches their behavior while he lectures to them. 



On the other hand, the biologist has a more intimate 

 access to a certain sample of his material, for he is 

 himself that sample. Through this fact he discovers 

 certain things about the materials of biological science 

 that he cannot discover by the other method alone. He 

 may, for example, discover that while the sample is 

 lecturing to the group of Homo sapiens, it is worried 

 and doubtful as to the reception of what it says. At 

 other times, he finds that the sample is relieved and 

 comfortable and happy. In short, he finds that the 

 things to be studied by the biologist include emotions, 

 sensations, impulses, desires. And they include ideas, 

 thoughts, purposes, interest in the rest of the world. 

 The biological specimen plays the part, not only of an 

 actor in the world, but also of an interested spectator 

 of the rest of the world. The specimen observes the 

 world, analyzes it, asks questions about it and tries to 

 answer them. It generalizes, forms theories, devises 

 systems of philosophy and religion. 



