138 INTRODUCTION TO SCIENCE 



young. Moreover, some of the very difficult 

 unsolved problems are already being nibbled at 

 by scientific methods, which in itself is hopeful. 



Every one must admit, however, that we are 

 confronted with a number of problems in regard 

 to which we find it difficult to think with clearness, 

 and in regard to which we seem to make little 

 progress. We refer to problems like that of the 

 origin of living organisms upon the earth, or that 

 of the living body as contrasted with an inanimate 

 system, or that of the relation of soul and body. 

 In reference to those and similar problems Science 

 has certain contributions to make, but these have 

 tended to increase rather than lessen the diffi- 

 culties of the situation. Thus it is much more 

 difficult for us to believe in spontaneous genera- 

 tion than it was for Harvey; it is much more 

 difficult for us to accept a mechanistic physiology 

 than it was for Descartes. 



Now in regard to these very difficult problems 

 we should at least know where we stand, and the 

 scientific answer must be ' ' Ignoramus . " In regard 

 to a problem like the origin of life the only scien- 

 tific position at present is one of agnosticism. For 

 most minds, however, the consistently agnostic 

 position is difficult. As scientific inquirers we 

 piously adhere to it, but when we go out into the 

 street we speculate with the best of them. We 

 make hypotheses, the pros and cons of which 



