May 1 8, 191 1 J 



NATURE 



;99 



of air by calcium chloride. The authors have investigated 



(the apphances necessary for drying largi volumes of air, 

 and an appliance has been insiallod at the Differdauge 

 Steelworks, Luxemburg, where it is now in normal work- 

 ing. In this process, the volume of air to be dried is 

 made to traverse a mass of calcium chloride by means ol 

 a fan. Water is circulated through pipes bedded in tlii/ 

 calcium chloride for the purpose of carrying away thi- 

 heat generated by the absorption of water by the chloride. 

 The hydration of the calciunt chloride is arrested when the 

 outside pellicle of the broken pieces commences to liquate, 

 and a regeneration operation is employed for the purpo-i 

 of rendering the calcium chloride capable of biini^ 

 employed for desiccating fresh volumfs of air. 



I'HK IMER.XATIOXAL PHILOSOPHICAL 

 CONGRESS AT BOLOGNA. 



,-y,HE fourth International Congress, which met at 

 1 Bologna under the presidency of Prof, l^nriqiics, wa> 

 formally opened on April d by the Duke of the Abruzzi. 

 It has been by far th<- I" -i attended of the series, the 

 total number of menibir> hi in:; more than five hundred, 

 and has been most lK>N[Mtably (lUi'riaincd by the committee 

 and the various niuniii]jalitii-. I In- genera! lone of the 

 (i' ha!i^ was iiuuh uior'- cordial than usual, and the con- 

 gr' ^-. A'a^ Kiriuna;i- 'V^n in it-- conchision, for the ni-xl 

 day a g'li'Tai --Uak'' wa- d^-clari-d in the town .'uid 

 province. 



It is diriiiuU tt> say what . \a(ily w.- ^Imuld •■xp'ci 

 from such gatherings. It is char that ihi-y can ix-vy 

 pr<xluce any definite result; but iln- contact of pirsonah- 

 ti( s (lo's sometimes bring inlci cleai-er hglit the e,\i>ienie 

 ol geivral tendencies of thought which otherwise might 



not lla\e heell so definitel\ |)e|-cei\ed, lllis COIlgre-^s (Hd 



bring to Hght ihe- exi^ti-me of >uch a tendencx, and lhi-> 

 was the' e|uite' e\ idem dechiie ill the inij)orlanci- ol 

 "system" in nieiaph\>ics. I'hilosopiiv does seem to he 

 steering awa\' from its uaditional form. It is Ix-ginning 

 to form a moi'e lluent ■An(\ a les> rigid and >\'siemalie 

 conce[)iioii ol ii"ufh. Thi- working oui of this lendeiux' 

 is comiecied waih and was mosi chai-h" shown in llle (hs- 

 <us,ii)ns ol wh.ai realK' loruied ihe main pi'olijem ol ilir 

 c<Migress, the one it has spmi the most lime i>\iv ijiai 

 of the relations l.ietweeii |)liil(is(,[)h\- and science. lliis 



j)roblem praclicalh' resol\-es ilsrlf into llie t|uesiion as lo 

 whether pliilosoph} has anv right to an iiKlependent e\is;- 

 <-nce, ;md il is |)ei-hap< one of ilie suresi si^ns of tlie 

 renaissanee ami \ilalily of llie stihjeci that il can diseuss 

 sucli a t|uesii<ni willi enthusiasm. This ke\-note of tlie 

 congress was struck l)y ih'of. Houlroiix in Ids opiiiinu; 

 speecli. ("harming lhoui;h ihis was in manner, it w.is 

 not r, m:e-k-;,hl,. for profuuditv of thought, and offered no 

 -'.Jution ih.an thai scienc.-, t|iiile leeitiniateh 

 ' s, (Mtusidered the world im])eisonan\-, and 

 ;'..i: \..s ;li,' husin.ss ot philosoph\- to reinlrodiice foi- 



•I 'elil.;. e s\n||||..,is the .jenieni which scii'llCe left out. 



toi'iiied the theme tjie loUowiiig da\ 

 |i!il 111' sqii,. p( isonalit \ , l''ra (ienielli, 



. . ,, :i edi!,,e ol ihe I ,' r :' i ., I „ .V C, '-SVe /,( .S / , , .( . 



v.-Ii'i il ']:■■:. ,1 V']t\\ Iroin Pi'. I. jlaiis Driesch, in wliieh 



■I' ■ >','■ .' d ill' -' ■' :i; o:. ;;. . ,,f Id. conception of 



niei .-iph\ siral 



'I'his is true JTisiorically ; Greek philosophs is noiliing 

 but the e.Meiision into a different field of the metiiod which 

 |)i'i'vailed in the scieiici.' of tile times, thai of geometry. 

 W'e gel a similar plienomt-non in modern [)hik>sophy. For 

 the- static geometrical concejMs of ih. i ii'-i-:, substitute the 

 conci-ption of scientific law, extend iliis lo the gi'tu-ral 

 problem of realitx' as the Greeks did geoineir. , ,md you 

 get the predominant types of modern philosoph'>. ,\!ways 

 _\'OU get philosophy pursuing tlie .same method as tliat of 

 science, that of intellectual anal_\sis, and iia\ing the same 

 idial, that of a complete science of e-' Now, said 



H.-rgson, phik>sophy, so long as it : following 



this nvtliod, is doomed to disappear, i ■ ^ t>bviously 



not w.uited in the field of any pariicui.ir .md successfid 

 science, it must pursue its activitii's in th'- liejds where 

 science h.is not \ ei penetrated. ;.e. in the tieki of the un- 

 known : and this is not a \ei-_\ s.- Lir- position for it, for 

 as soon as soienci.' begins to pen.nr.ii ' ' ■■- tiefd, and 



tliere is a contradiction betwr-en it- s and the 



conclusions of ])liilosophy, it is ])liilo- • i.iist ifive 



wa\'. not science. 



dh'- onlc future of phiU>sophy, ili.ii, I'-s in 

 tion of the fact that it must ]")ursii. I 



entirijly to lli.'it of science. It must . 



to .givi- ;i compli-le inlejlectual r- ■ oi oir 



cosmos. There remains the ailieil (.|U i" pkice of 



sxsrem in ])hik>sopli\-. I,<Hiking at li' e.irc com- 



plic.al-d eoiisi riiri ion-: ol ill- ^r'.e -,- 



lhe\- ierlainl\' s.-.-ni !< > lla\'e 1 I", '1 , . - 



lion tliat lhe\- \\-ere ii-ealing a - heat, 



said Hergson. that is onl\- sup.' !: \ on 



sludv, <a\ , .^pino/a king enoueli. \,m -^^ ■ liie 



whole elalior.iie sxsteiu w'as niei-ely tlv laii^ ' diich 



he .'xpress.-d one perferlK simple Innii:;.i:i '.'eieii 



would h'- slated in one senienc he.'ii 



in a siniilar siale and could a; M-re 

 comes, then, the ahsm'diu- of e\p;,,i: 

 his soiire''s \ ou I HlK' h\' ihai n i 



material he which he exp;"' ^ ' ■ - ',n]ioriani 



and ceniral thing in a phik •' imuilion 



akin to that of the anisi. i i;n."Mt a!]v 

 from ihe kind of acli\'il\' \oi: 

 do -et to the detailed woi ■. 



the work doiii' in the \ari( lUs -. ■: 



sek nee, esthelic. ethie, geii.'rai 



loe\-, oiii' can onh sa\ ;lial i; 'A. , ' r\' 



unequal, eonsideral ik- so l.ir as ■ suh- 



jeets raisf-d was coiieeriied, and ■, , ,. t ual 



lesiilis ohi. lined oo. lllis sOriliiN \\ : : due 



to ihe def,Tti\e oi-L^anisalion of ill. ■ the 



persisii'iii k.epine to ihe tr.idilio;! ..; 

 jeils and I fe.' indix'idual c i imniuiie ,i 

 I lial I her. is ne\-i'r t im.' I<» i ' 

 TTi.' suhjeels rais.-d. i-\vr l' 

 w<hrk of the I'ongr.'ss w.is do;, 

 ihe all erni mn, and \\'.' r.-hr le 

 aliraeled ih.' er,.ii,.s! all' iri,.'! 



d'he mal Ileiuat iciail 1 ' 

 liiin wdiich has h.'.'n r.. 

 pliilo-'.ipli.'rs as lo wdietlvr ill' l.iws ,. 

 In .1 '.NO! Ill which e\'(dves ronliiiual 

 ill.' ! 111. s umler which ihis .'.>'..■■. 

 .■\-inpi troni .ill \ .iriai ion. 

 !,.' adopl.'d l.\ ih.' m.iii ..: 

 ih.' possihilii \ of sci. 11, 



.1 sidi- 



I.'sult 



osii\', ilial wliieh 

 o is |)erha|)s ih.- mo- 

 philosoplier in I'.uidp 



tlii< unit. 



ned ot 



:!;.'.! 



'eS. 



.S(i 



