THE UNITY OF SCIENCE. 



27 



the facts of life can be re-stated in terms of chemistry 

 and physics, or that the biologist has given into his 

 hands the key to the problems of human society, we 

 may profitably recognise that an understanding of 

 the organism is facilitated by the results of chemical 

 and physical science, and that the data of biology 

 are full of suggestion to the sociologist. 



It may be true — many would call it obvious — that 

 life transcends the categories of mechanism, or, in 

 other words, that the formula? of physics do not suf- 

 fice to re-express the facts of life. Yet it must be 

 admitted that vital phenomena have become more in- 

 telligible — more readily dealt with in thinking — 

 since Biology began to avail itself of the aid of Chem- 

 istry and Physics. It may be true that man tran- 

 scends the categories of Biology, and it seems to many 

 that man as compared with the Amoeba expresses 

 an entirely new synthesis, just as the Amoeba does 

 in relation to a mineral, and that the secret of both 

 new syntheses remains as yet hidden. Yet it must 

 be admitted that human life has become more intel- 

 ligible — more readily dealt with in thinking — since 

 Psychology and Sociology condescended to listen to 

 the suggestions, confessedly still immature, offered by 

 Biology. On the other hand, it seems historically 

 true that such valuable ideas as division of labour and 

 evolution were made clear in regard to human affairs 

 before they were transferred to and re-illustrated in 

 the study of organisms. There is a sense in which 

 the Amoeba may be said to be of use in the interpreta- 

 tion of man; but it is also true that the study of 

 man has reacted upon the biological interpretation of 

 the Amoeba. Similarly great advances were made 

 by Chemistry when attention was extended from in- 

 organic to organic substances, and there are at least 



