WHAT is LIFE? 



and Plato argued for a regulating intelligence, producing 

 order, so that " the world's activities are reflections of 

 God's thoughts." The Hebrew and Christian Script- 

 ures, as well as all other writings which exhibit the 

 religious beliefs of mankind, Koran or Shaster, King or 

 Avesta, (the sacred books of Mohammedans and Hindus, 

 Chinese and Persians,) teach the doctrine of Dualism, or 

 the distinction between mind and matter. 



3. The revival of Monistic philosophy in the last 

 century has awakened much discussion, and each of the 

 sciences in turn has been made the arena of conflict. 

 In Biology, Darwin, Spencer, and Haeckel are arrayed 

 against Agassiz, Lionel Beale, and M'Cosh, and the con- 

 test of mind has brought to notice a wonderful accumu- 

 lation of facts, sufficient, we think, to settle the central 

 question of philosophy concerning life. 



In the present work the facts of Biology are regarded 

 as .confirmatory of the principles of rational Dualism. In 

 the judgment of the writer there is no conflict between 

 science and revealed truth, but such complete agreement 

 that the facts of science can be best understood and 

 explained in consistency with that philosophy which re- 

 ligion has made prevalent in the minds of the majority 

 of men. Yet the learning and apparent candor of many 

 Monistic writers entitle them to respect, even if we fail to 

 agree with them, and truth, which should be the object 

 of all study, is not aided by epithets or personal acri- 

 mony. 



4. Some scientists ignore the question of the cause of 

 life, and confine themselves to the physical and chemical 

 phenomena associated with living things; but this is 



