XXX JAMES A. WEISHEIPL 



erend Sebastian E. Carlson. By special decree of the Provincial, 

 the Albertus Magnus Lyceum was established at River Forest 

 in 1951, its official date of inception being celebrated on Novem- 

 ber 15, the feast of St. Albert. 



On this tenth anniversary of its establishment the Lyceum 

 takes great pleasure in presenting this volume of studies to its 

 founder and former director on his sixtieth birthday. The 

 volume reflects the wide interest of its members and friends. 

 From small beginnings the Lyceum has grown to include 

 Dominicans of other Provinces and many non-Dominicans. It 

 has developed a serious interest in scientific methodology, the 

 history and philosophy of science, various technical problems of 

 physics, biology, evolution and psychology; and it has had a 

 decided influence on the teaching of natural science in the 

 schools. Of course, much remains to be done in these vast areas 

 of natural science and more specialists are needed even now. 

 Here one can apply the phrase of St. Thomas: Fiat aliqualiter 

 per plura, quod non potest fieri per unum. 



The Lyceum's view of natural philosophy and the modem 

 sciences has been presented in innumerable writings, lectures, 

 symposia and discussions. Nevertheless, its view has been 

 frequently misunderstood and misrepresented by those who, 

 presumably, disagree with its position. Presumably they have 

 read at least some of the writings which they attack. But it is 

 unreasonable to expect fruitful discussion and disagreement 

 without mutual understanding. By far the most commonly 

 misunderstood point is the Lyceum's (and Maritain's) dis- 

 tinction of modern sciences. Neither Maritain nor the Lyceum 

 considers * modern science ' to be a single, homogeneous body 

 of knowledge. They make a careful distinction between those 

 sciences which are formerly mathematical and those which are 

 not. Formally mathematical sciences {empiriometrique, scien- 

 tiae mediae, mathematical-physical sciences) are acknowledged 

 to be really distinct from the philosophy and science of nature. 

 Although extrinsic, the mathematical-physical sciences are of 

 utmost importance to the naturalist in the examination of prob- 



