TI1K TWO ASPECTS OF SCIENl K 9 



a separate name, they were called " natural philosophy " 

 in distinction to " moral philosophy " ; and they were 

 also called " natural science " in distinction to " moral 

 science " ; for at that time " philosophy " and " science " 

 had practically the same meaning and were used inter- 

 changeably, although the former was the commoner. 

 All these expressions survive ; at the older universities 

 a professor of natural philosophy is indistinguishable 

 from a professor of physics or chemistry ; and " moral 

 science " is a common name for what is more usually 

 called philosophy. That " natural philosophy " has 

 become almost obsolete while " natural science " sur- 

 S is due partly to the inexplicable vagaries of language 

 which determine, apparently at random, which of two 

 nyms is to die out ; but it is also partly due to the 

 fact that the older branches of learning from which the 

 students of science desired to separate themselves were 

 en known as philosophy than as science. Again 

 the " natural " has been dropped, and only the " science " 

 retained, partly by mere abbreviation (just as " omnibus " 

 hanged into " bus "), and partly because 

 : nts of science were by no means averse from hearing 

 study called " science " without any qualification ; 

 " is simply the Latin for " knowledge," and 

 mplication that all that is not science is not know- 

 lUially flattered their vanity. And it is impor- 

 to remember this history. For the older and 

 more general use of the word to mean pure knowledge 

 in g- 1 any kind <>[ knowledge, has not 



' ; and v be on our guard against imagin- 



ing t n<: in \\iiich the words "science" and 



:ic " are attadn-d to day have anything more to 

 . ith natural science than with any other kin< 



-cientific 



i> skilful and does 

 :mply that he i 1 in physics or astronomy. 



