SOME UNSOLVED SCIENTIFIC PROBLEMS 



contrary, the "spontaneous generation" of living pro- 

 toplasms may be taking place incessantly at the bottom 

 of every ocean of the globe. 



This of course is a mere bald statement of possibili- 

 ties. It may be met by another statement of possibili- 

 ties, to the effect that perhaps the conditions necessary 

 to the evolution of living matter here may have been 

 fulfilled but once, since which time the entire current 

 of life on our globe has been a diversified stream from 

 that one source. Observe, please, that this assumption 

 does not fall within that category which I mention 

 above as contraband of science in speaking of the 

 origin of worlds. The existence of life on our globe is 

 only an incident limited to a relatively insignificant 

 period of time, and whether the exact conditions neces- 

 sary to its evolution pertained but one second or a 

 hundred million years does not in the least matter in a 

 philosophical analysis. It is merely a question of fact, 

 just as the particular temperature of the earth's surface 

 at any given epoch is a question of fact, the one con- 

 dition, like the other, being temporary and incidental. 

 But, as I have said, the question of fact as to the ex- 

 act time of origin of life on our globe is a question that 

 science as yet cannot answer. 



But, in any event, what is vastly more important 

 than this question as to the duration of time in which 

 living matter was evolved is a comprehension of the 

 philosophical status of this evolution from the "non- 

 vital" to the " vital." If one assumes that this evolu- 

 tion was brought about by an interruption of the 

 play of forces hitherto working in the universe that 

 the correlation of forces involved was unique, acting 



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