70 HAS SCIENCE DISCOVERED GOD? 



But I demand the right, as a scientist, to make such 

 theories. In the absolute sense, science can be limited 

 only by the universe itself. Pure agnosticism is a dead 

 and stagnant thing. I am perfectly willing to admit 

 that no knowledge of things either finite or infinite 

 can be absolutely complete and final. No such consid- 

 erations, however, can prevent me, as scientist, from 

 employing such methods of observation and reasoning 

 powers, even if the latter must border on speculation, 

 in attempts to formulate a theory of things as a whole. 



The truth is that science, although it will not always 

 make a free admission of the fact, is in every field 

 making speculations, or holding to beliefs as working 

 hypotheses. From the behavior of a falling body to 

 the theory of an infinite universe Is a far cry. That 

 In either case we eventually come up against some sort 

 of an Immovable obstacle is perhaps just a natural 

 consequence of the infinite character and Infinite com- 

 plexity of the physical world. I refuse to permit any 

 Irrelevant lack of finality to prevent me from thinking. 



Can science grant a similar freedom of thought to 

 the philosopher or the religionist working in the world 

 of the spirit? Science certainly has no right to refuse 

 to others the privileges which It is constantly Implicitly 

 assuming for Itself. In the final analysis, my accept- 

 ance of one or another theory relating to the Infinite 

 concept of a universe without limit Is not at all dif- 

 ferent from the reasoning of a philosopher as to a 

 First Cause or that of a religionist with regard to God. 

 To the religionist, however, who announces his theory 

 as definite, final. Inevitable, Inspired, the scientist 

 promptly sounds a warning. He demands from him 

 the same humility and modesty which the hard expe- 



