Abstract
II.
IT is easy to say: “A cell consists of small particles, and these we call plastidules; plastidules, however, are composed of carbon, hydrogen, oxygen, and nitrogen, and are endowed with a special soul; this soul is the product or the sum of the forces which the chemical atoms possess.” Indeed this is possible; I cannot judge of it exactly. This is one of those points which are yet unapproachable for me; I feel there like a navigator who gets upon a shallow, the extent of which he cannot guess. But yet I must say that before the properties of carbon, hydrogen, oxygen, and nitrogen are defined to me in such a manner that I can understand how, through their combination a soul results, I cannot admit that we are justified in introducing the plastiduie soul into the educational programme or to ask generally of every educated man that he should recognise it as a scientific truth to such a degree as to operate with it logically, and to base his conception of the universe upon it. This we may really not ask. On the contrary, I think that before we designate such theses as the expression of science, before we say this is modern science, we ought first of all to complete a, whole series of lengthy investigations. We must therefore say to the schoolmasters, do not teach this. This, gentlemen, is the resignation which in my opinion, those ought to exercise who deem such a solution in itself to be the probable end of scientific investigation. We can certainly not differ on that point for a moment, that if this doctrine of the soul were really true it could only be confirmed by a long series of scientific investigations.
Article PDF
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
The Liberty of Science in the Modern State 1 . Nature 17, 92–94 (1877). https://doi.org/10.1038/017092a0
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/017092a0