12 The Universe and Life 



act as if the universe did not contain them. They think 

 of science as organized knowledge; as knowledge re- 

 duced to a system, and since they are not able to reduce 

 these things to a system, it is concluded that they are 

 not material for science. In consequence, the sensa- 

 tions, desires, emotions, and thoughts that are so vivid 

 in what the biological specimen observes in himself are 

 considered matters with which science has notliing 

 to do. 



Now this is all very well for certain practical pur- 

 poses ; it is all very well if the purpose is to pick up as 

 much useful detailed knowledge as quickly as one can. 

 But it will never do if the purpose is to present an ade- 

 quate picture of living things and of the phenomena 

 that belong to life. Men have of course a right to limit 

 their efforts as they will, and biologists may properly 

 limit their study of life to things of a certain kind. 

 They may, if they choose, exclude from consideration 

 this great field of the inner experiences. But it is clear 

 that when they have done this, they are no longer in a 

 position to give an adequate picture of the nature of 

 life. Biological science, defined as limited to the things 

 discovered in the outer view, does not even attempt to 

 give a complete picture of what occurs in living things. 

 It deals with only a part of the subject. Biological 

 science conceived in this limited way, dealing only 

 with certain selected aspects and phenomena of living 

 things, is in no position to speak for biology at large. 

 It is in no position to paint for us such a picture of life 

 and of the universe containing life as a consideration 

 of all the phenomena of biology must yield. 



