208 THE PROBLEM OF EVOLUTION 



that might be raised, he asked why we were bound 

 to assume that life ever had a beginning, why life 

 could not just as well be eternal as matter ? The 

 answer to that question would be that, in accordance 

 with the theory of Kant and Laplace, we know the 

 world has been developed, and that it has gradually 

 come into being from a condition of molten heat. 

 Against this theory the speaker referred to the 

 cosmozoic theory, which has found many supporters. 



I dealt with this objection in my closing 

 speech (p. 213, etc.) and need not discuss it 

 here. 



Finally, Dr. Thesing insisted upon the fact that, 

 in his opinion, it was a waste of time to try to 

 disprove religion or the idea of God from the point 

 of view of natural science. Even the dogmatic 

 conception of God, upheld by Father Wasmann, 

 could not with certainty be proved to be impossible 

 by any one limiting himself to the domain of natural 

 science. Religion and science occupied two totally 

 distinct regions, and dealt with absolutely different 

 problems, and they ought to be kept apart and not 

 confused, as they had been on this occasion. 



