CLXXXVIII ADMINISTRATIVE EEPOET [eth. asn. 20 



Idealism accuses inaterialisni of ig-noring all values iu the 

 world; it forever seeks to belittle scientific research. Cheni- 

 istrv is only a controversy about words; astronomy is only a 

 disjjutation about words; physics is onh* a disjjutation about 

 words; geologv is only a disputation about words: l)otany is 

 onh' a disputation about words; and zoology is only a dispu- 

 tation about words! 



Materialism accuses idealism as l)eing the enemy of science, 

 of rejecting every scientific discovery until it can be translated 

 into terms of idealism, being the great bulwark of ignorance 

 and the fortress of superstition. As idealism is interpreted by 

 materialism, the accusations are true, and as materialism is 

 inter] )reted bv idealism, the accusations are true. Materialism 

 is arrayed against religion, and idealism is aiTayed against 

 science. 



Idealism is a theor}' that there is no objective reality, or, to 

 use the language of modern idealism, there is no trans-subjec- 

 tive reality. Symbols are signs of ideas, but not signs of 

 objects. The objective world thus becomes the creation of 

 thought. The apparent or phenomenal objective world is cre- 

 ated magically by thought. There are no stars as objective 

 realities; there are only stars by tlu^ magic of thought. Astron- 

 omy is not a science of orbs which depends on the existence of 

 objective realities; but it is a science of words which depends 

 on our concepts, and coutributions to astronomy are only con- 

 tributions to language and consist only in a better method of 

 using symbols as words to describe our concepts. There are 

 no atoms or molecules or substances as science teaches ; but 

 there are concepts of atoms, molecules, and substances, and all 

 contributions to chemistry are but contributions to language 

 by which symbols that do not represent reality, but only con- 

 ce]its, are made more useful as linguistic devices. There is no 

 such thing as motion; motion is but the product of thought. 

 We think there is motion, but it has no objective reality, and 

 contributions to dynamics are only contributions to language! 



During the last decade Ladd has published a volume, titled 

 What is Reality?, in which he sets forth in a masterl}-- manner 

 the concomitaucy of the categories. In this great work he 



