DISCUSSION 101 



accept, he ought to remember that we have no 

 scientific explanation of the origin of life, and 

 must therefore have recourse to a philosophical 

 explanation, if we are to have one at all. I 

 cannot agree with Plate, when he says that the 

 origin of life is as much a question of zoology, 

 as the origin of the Alps is a question of geology, 

 for until the first organisms came into existence 

 there were no laws governing organic life, but 

 there were only the chemical and physical laws, 

 and so no zoological problems could exist. 

 But before the origin of the Alps the forces and 

 laws of geology were already in action, and so 

 a geological problem is in this case really pre- 

 sented to us. The origin of the first organisms 

 may be described as a chemical and physical 

 problem, but not as zoological or botanical. 

 Moreover, the highest scientific authorities 

 such, for instance, as Professor Branco, in the 

 course of his entrance address as a member of 

 the Berlin Scientific Society (Reports of Pro- 

 ceedings, 1900, pp. 679-690) have frankly 

 declared that from the scientific standpoint we 

 know nothing at all about the first appearance 

 of life. 



Professor Plate went on to say : ' Another equivo- 

 cation on Father Wasmann's part appears in 

 his opinions regarding species. He occupies a 

 peculiar position in this respect. He has studied 



