112 THE LIFE OF SCIENCE 



ophers among the historians of the last century and one of the 

 greatest literary artists. 



The most characteristic trait of Renan's thought is his scientific 

 conception of history and, conversely, his rare understanding of 

 the spirit of positive science. To be sure this was largely due to 

 his constant intercourse with Marcellin Berthelot, but the latter's 

 influence would have been of little avail if Renan had not been 

 fully prepared to receive it. When he exclaims in one of his 

 prefaces to the Life of Jesus, "History is a science like chemistry, 

 like geology/' there comes to us an echo of their discussions on 

 the subject. Renan, whose sole knowledge was historical, had been 

 suddenly brought face to face with a man whose conceptions and 

 ideals, though strangely similar to his own, were based on an 

 altogether different set of facts. On the other hand Berthelot had 

 probably been led to believe — as most young scientists are — that 

 there was no real knowledge outside the field of the positive or 

 experimental sciences, and we may expect him to have taken pains 

 to impress his theological companion with this conviction. The 

 test of knowledge, he might say, is the ability to foresee, to bring 

 about definite results with certainty. The experimental sciences 

 are the only ones which make such knowledge possible. Of course 

 Renan could not share such an intolerant conception, but he would 

 learn to understand the pure scientific point of view, as no other 

 historian ever did. Thus, after having reviewed the intellectual 

 conditions of Islam, he concludes, "The purpose of mankind is 

 not repose in submissive ignorance, but implacable war against 

 error and struggle against evil. Science is the soul of society for 

 science is reason ... It creates military and industrial superior- 

 ity. It will some day create social superiority; I mean a state of 

 society wherein the full amount of justice compatible with the 

 essence of the universe will be available." Berthelot would have 

 expressed himself exactly in the same way, but he would have 

 stopped there. Renan was not inclined to throw overboard as 

 worthless his own treasure of facts, to the collection of which he 



