June 7, 1918] 



SCIENCE 



553 



now use it in its original sense, the sense 

 given it by the scientist who first coined 

 the term, and if it be necessary to add to it 

 a distinctive adjective to rid it of any am- 

 biguity or invidious implications, it might 

 be called "scientific agnosticism." It is 

 this attribute of scientific agnosticism which 

 is the characteristic of the ideal university 

 attitude. 



The agnostic attitude is doubtless as old 

 as human intelligence. This it is which 

 prompts us to cry like Othello 



. . . Give me ocular proof 



Make me to see 't; or, at least so prove it 



That the probation bear no hinge nor loop 



To hang a doubt on.^ 



Alas that Othello should have been so 

 easily satisfied! It is, however, to men of 

 the generation of Tyndall and Huxley that 

 we owe most for the popular exposition of 

 this attitude. The latter, who, by the way, 

 first coined the word "agnostic," points 

 out that this attitude consists in the accept- 

 ance of a principle which is as much ethical 

 as intellectual, that it is wrong to affirm as 

 certain that for which we can not produce 

 evidence which may logically justify that 

 certainty. He then continues: 



The results of the working out of this principle 

 will vary according to individual knowledge and 

 capacity, and according to the general condition of 

 science. That which is unproven to-day may be 

 proven by the help of new discoveries to-morrow. 

 The only negative fixed points wiU be those nega- 

 tions which flow from the demonstrable limitations 

 of our own faculties. And the only obligation ac- 

 cepted is to have the mind always open to convic- 

 tion.8 



From this we see that what has been 

 called the agnostic attitude is really a com- 

 bination of skepticism and openmindedness. 



An example will press home this concep- 

 tion more than any number of generaliza- 

 tions and I shall consequently quote from 



7 Shakespeare, "Othello," Act III., Sc. III. 



8 Thomas H. Huxley, ' ' Collected Essays, ' ' V., 

 pp. 245-246, 1897. 



the life of Pasteur an incident which is 

 charmingly illustrative. 



When Pasteur claimed to have discovered 

 that the salts of racemic acid consisted of 

 two kinds of crystals, one kind right- 

 handed and turning the plane of polarized 

 light to the right, the other left-handed and 

 turning the plane of polarized light to the 

 left, a discovery of extraordinary impor- 

 tance, the veteran chemist Biot, then sev- 

 enty-four years old, showed some skepti- 

 cism. Holding his head on one side, speak- 

 ing very slowly and smiling ironically Biot 

 kept saying to the friend of Pasteur who 

 had communicated these results to him, 

 "Are you quite sure?" "I should like to 

 investigate this young man's results." 



Hearing this, Pasteur arranged an inter- 

 vievr with Biot at the College de France, 

 where the latter resided. There Biot pro- 

 duced a specimen of racemic acid which he 

 himself had proved to have no effect on 

 polarized light. Then under the direction 

 of Pasteur he proceeded to prepare the so- 

 lution from which the crystals might be 

 obtained. This done, Pasteur was sent 

 away. When the crystals had been de- 

 posited from the mother liquor, Pasteur 

 was sent for to demonstrate to Biot the two 

 sorts of crystals. After he had done so Biot 

 said: "So you affirm that your right- 

 handed crystals will deviate the plane of 

 polarized light to the right, and your left- 

 handed ones will deviate it to the left?" 

 "Yes," said Pasteur. "Well, let me do the 

 rest," and Biot was again left to dissolve 

 the two sorts of crystals separately. Soon 

 after this in Pasteur's presence Biot con- 

 vinced himself that the assertions of the 

 former were correct. Then taking Pasteur 

 by the arm he said : ' ' ily dear boy, I have 

 loved Science so much during my life, that 

 this touches my very heart."" 



Benf Vallery-Badot, "Life of Pasteur," pp. 

 40-41, 1906. 



