INAUGURAL ADDRESS 



ON 



BERGSON'S PHILOSOPHY OF THE ORGANISM. 

 By J. JOHNSTONE, B.Sc, President. 



One only realises by attempting it how very difficult 

 it is for a naturalist to discuss, in a broad manner, the 

 large unsolved questions of his science. This is because 

 our methods are still essentially descriptive, and because 

 what some people have called the " mere cataloguing of 

 organisms and of their structure and habits," occupies so 

 much of our attention that we have little time and 

 inclination for more abstract studies. One feels that our 

 description of the organic world should be as complete 

 as we can make it, and that it is quite certain that many 

 generations of investigators must deal with the concrete 

 things of biology before a really satisfactory philosophy 

 of the organism can be foreshadowed. It is probably 

 no easier for the physiologist, occupied with the applica- 

 tion of the methods of physics to his descriptions of the 

 functioning of the organism to attempt to weld together 

 his results into a general treatment of the nature of life. 

 Physics has advanced so rapidly along its own lines 

 towards a rational conception of the universe that it is 

 well-nigh impossible for the working naturalist to 

 acquire such a knowledge of its concepts as will enable 

 him to discuss thoroughly the fundamental problems of 

 biology from the standpoints of physico-chemical science. 

 It is not surprising, therefore, that philsophical enquiries 

 of this kind should usually have come from outside the 

 circle of professional biologists, and one may argue that 

 this is as it should be, and that it is not our business to 

 initiate such discussions. 



