372 the president's address. 



of scientific workers and scientific societies has steadily and rapidly 

 increased, and while the democratic spirit has been making its way 

 in the political, the scientific spirit has been growing increasingly 

 powerful in the intellectual world. 



And there are no signs that either the democratic or the scientific 

 impulse that we owe to the eighteenth century has spent its force. 

 The wave of political liberty still rolls onward, and every year adds 

 some remarkable discovery to the list of scientific achievements. 

 Enough has been said to show that there is a certain sympathy 

 between science and liberty. When the intellect of Europe emanci- 

 pated itself from authority in the sixteenth century, modern science 

 began ; when, in the eighteenth century, the era of democracy set in, 

 a host of new sciences came into existence. In ancient times any- 

 thing of importance done in science was done by the Greeks, one of 

 the two great free nations. Are these coincidences mere accidents, 

 or do they point to a real connexion between science and freedom I 

 If there is a real connexion, can we to any extent define its nature I 



The connexion between science and freedom is, of course, a single 

 phase of that between science and human progress. Let us see- 

 whether we can discover how science is related to human progress. 



In discussing questions of this kind it is of course impossible to< 

 separate completely one element in human progress from the rest, 

 and to point out fully what its reactions have been. The utmost 

 that we can do is to discover some links of connexion. We 

 find for example that in the sixteenth century a great scientific and 

 a great religious movement existed together. From their synchron- 

 izing we infer that they were both products of the same general 

 causes, whatever these were. Both were clearly of the nature of 

 revolts against established authority, and to both the principle of the 

 right of private judgment was very important. Up to a certain 

 point the cause of science and that of Protestant theology were the- 

 same. But it is impossible not to see that they have long since 

 diverged, and that there is now a certain antagonism between them. 

 There can, of course, be no real opposition between religion and 

 science. All truth is one. But at present certain received theologi- 

 cal dogmas and scientific generalizations clash, and until the one, or 

 the other, or both are modified, peace cannot be restored. If, for 

 example, the Deity may send rain in answer to prayer, it cannot be 



