12 



SCIENCE. 



[N. S. Vol. XVI. No. 392. 



the contrary, it would be harmful, and 

 conscious animals would have ceased long- 

 ago to survive. The very fact that con- 

 sciousness is of such high value in the 

 bionomy of an animal renders it obvious 

 that it miist be subject to law. Accord- 

 ingly it appears to us regulated as do the 

 functions of protoplasm. Hence to cer- 

 tain modern thinkers it presents itself as 

 a function of protoplasm, or, as it may 

 be better stated, as a state or condition of 

 protoplasm. 



The internal evidence of consciousness, 

 however, is against this view and presents 

 to us conscious actions as depending upon 

 the consciousness. As before stated I be- 

 lieve that this evidence must be accepted. 

 Now all the sensations of consciousness are 

 derived from physical force, and all the 

 acts of consciousness are manifested 

 through physical force ; hence if it has any 

 real power consciousness must be able to 

 change the form of energy. Unless we 

 accept this doctrine, we must give up all 

 belief in free-will and adopt the automaton 

 theory of life. Is not the more reasonable 

 explanation that which is based upon all 

 the contents of our consciousness rather 

 than that which we can draw by discard- 

 ing the internal evidence which conscious- 

 ness brings usi The hypothesis which I 

 offer for your consideration is this: 



Consciousness has the power to change 

 the form of energy, and is neither a form 

 of energy nor a state of protoplasm. 



By this hypothesis there are two funda- 

 mentally different things in the universe, 

 force and consciou.sness. You ask why 

 I do not say three, and add matter? My 

 answer is that we do not have, and never 

 have had, any evidence whatever that mat- 

 ter exists. All our sensations are caused 

 by force and by force only, so that the 

 biologist can say that our senses bring no 

 evidence of matter. The concept 'matter' 

 is an irrational transfer of notions derived 



from the gross molar world of the senses 

 to the molecular world. Faraday long ago 

 pointed out that nothing was gained and 

 much lost by the hypothesis of material 

 atoms, and his position seems to me im- 

 pregnable. It would be a great contribu- 

 tion to science to kill off the hypothesis of 

 matter as distinct from force. 



To conclude: The universe consists of 

 force and consciousness. As consciousness 

 by our hypothesis can initiate the change 

 of the form of energy, it may be that with- 

 out consciousness the universe would come 

 to absolute rest. Since I close with a bold 

 speculation let my last words recall to 

 you that my text is : Investigate conscious- 

 ness by comparative observations. Only 

 from observation can we know. Correct, 

 intelligent, exhaustive « observation is our 

 goal. When we reach it human science will 

 be completed. 



Charles Sedgwick Minot. 



Harvard Medical School. 



RECENT PROGRESS IN AMERICAN BRIDGE 

 CONSTRUCTION.* 



In view of the great achievements in 

 engineering construction Avhich character- 

 ized the latter part of the nineteenth cen- 

 tury in America, it seems appropriate to 

 give a brief review of the most recent pro- 

 gress in one of its departments, that of 

 bridge construction. It appears to be the 

 more fitting since the place of this meeting 

 of the Association' is the greatest center 

 of production of the material which con- 

 stitutes the bulk of that used for modern 

 bridges. 



The application of scientific principles 

 to the construction of bridges is more com- 

 plete to-day tlian ever before. This state- 

 ment applies to the specified requirements 



* Address of the Vice-president and Chairman 

 of Section D — Mechanical Science and Engineer- 

 ing — of the American Association for the Ad- 

 vancement of Science, Pittsburgh Meeting, June 

 28-July .3, 1902. 



