, 1877-09-30

in position to tell us something worth h,.a.i ac
about them than one who is turned from $uci.
study br cheap pulpit thunder touching th';
presumlt:on Of '' biological reasoning about
| spiritual things"
MIR. Harrison, Us We hare seen, is not quite 80
clear As It is desirable respecting the Limits OF
! the provinces OF anatomy and physiology.
Perhaps he will permit me to inform hlFl Tia!
Physiology is The science which treats CT TIC
functions of the living Organization, ascerta'iiS
their coordination and their currc'atons IN the
| general chain of causes and effects, and traces
out their dependence upon tue physical states ot
| the organs by which these functions are exer-
| clscd. The explanation o{ phy6iologi ical func-
| tiou is the demonstration OF the connection ot
| that function with the molecular state OF the
organ which excrts the function. Thus the
| function of motion is explained when the move
mtnts OF the living body, found to hare +
tain molecular changes for their ivariabic ante
ccdents, the function Of sensation is cx2a1c.i
when the molecular changes which are THE !nYa-
rlaolc antecedcnts of sensations dist.7are:!.
The tact that It is impossible to comprehend
how 1t Is that physical state gives rise to Il
mental state no more lessons the value Of the
explanation in the latter case than the fact that
1t is utterly impossible to comprehend how mo
tlop Is communicated from one body 20 another
weakens the force OF the explanation Of the
motion Of one billiard-ball By showing that all-
other has hit it..
The finest spiritual scnsibllity, says Mr. Har~
rison tand think there is . fair presumption
That he is r1shf), is function Of living urEan-
lsM-ls In relation with molecular facts. In that
case, the physiolugist may reply: - 1t is my
business to dnd out what these molecular facts
are, and whether the relation between them
and the said spiritual sensibility is
one OF antecedence in the molecular
versa Il the latter result COMES ou: Of my
inquiries, | shall have made u contribution
toward moral theory Of physical phenomena; :;
II the former, shall have done somewhat to-
61,,$f.3
phenomena But in amp case anu not outstep-
ping the limits OF my proper province. BY BUS
mess Is to get ut the truth respect IG such CUES
tions, at all risks; and, If You teH me that onc
Of these two results is corruptinS doctrine,
can Only say that | perceive the intended IT.
proach conveyed by the observation, but that
fail to o5ulze its relevance- II tie doctrine
is true its social septic or antlscptlc properties
are not my affairs. My business Us biologist
Is with physiology, not With morals"
This plan Of Justification strikes me rs COM
plctc- Whence, then, the following outbreak
Of angry eluquencc.
the arrogant attempt to dispose vi the deepest
moral trnt!is Of human nature on bare physical
physiological basis is almost enough to justify the
lnsursectlon Of some impatient thcolosana against
science itself.
''Ttat strain again; it has a dying fall" NO
wise similar 10 the sweet south upon bank OF
vioIets, however, but like the dcath-wail OF in
Vulnerable ''impattent tbeologiaus " Is from
the high "1rum ecricslastiS" they view the
waters of science looding the Church on all
hands The headles have long been washed
away Escape by pu}pit-stairs is eyer becoming
doubtful, without kirtling those outward in
vestments wl1icil distinguish the priest from the
man so high that no one will see there is any
thing but the man left But Mr. Harrison is
not an impatient theologian-indeed. no thco-
logan 1t all, unless, as he speaks ct soul "
when he means certain bodily functions, and of
"future lille y when he means personal anuihiia-
ton, he mar make his Masters Grand ctre SUI
pretne the subject of q theology; and Que
stunlbles upon this well-vorn fragment Of too
familiar defamation among his vigorous periods
with the unpleasant surprise Of Que who finds
fly in a precious ointment
There are people from whom 9ne does not
expect wcll-founded statement aud thoughtful.
however keen. augmentation, embodied in pre-
else language From Mr.. Harrison one does.
But think he will be ut a loss to answer tue
question, if pray him to tell me OF any repre-
sentative Of physical science, Who4 either arro-
gautly OF otherwise, has ever attempted to dis
pose Of moral truths OIL a physical OF 2siysio-
Of the worts literally, shall not dis
pute the arrogance Of the attempt to dispose OF
d moral truth on bare, or even on covered,
physical or physiological basis; for; whether
tue truth is deep or shallow, cannot
Columbus difficulty with the egg is rs nothins:
to it. But l suppose what is meant is that
some arrogant people have tried to upset mo-
rality by the help Of physics and physiology. |
am sorry if such people exist. because l shall
have to be much rudcr 10 them than i,fr. Har-
nson is. l should not call them arrogauL any
more than should apply that epithet to per-
son who attempted to upset Euclid by the help
of the Ri.sye1a. Accuracy might be satisfied, If
but it appears to me that it would be the height
OF injustice to term tim arrogant
Whatever else they may be, the laws Of moral
ity, under their scientific aspect, are gencraliza:
tious based upon the observed plenolBcna OF
society: and whatever uA2p lie the nature Of
moral appreciation and disapprobation, these
feelings are. as L matter Of experience, assoc-
ated with certain acts
The consequences OF mems actions will remain
the same. however Tar ouT analysis OF tie causes
which lead to them may be pushed Theft anu
murder would be none the less obJectiopabte it
it were possible to prove that they were the re-
suit Of the activity of special THEFT and murder
cells in that - gray pulp Of which Mr- Harrison
agiue that any quantity Of physiological analyst
will lead people to think breaking their legs OF
putting their hands into the fire desirable! And
when men really believe that breaches OF the
moral law involve their penalties ne surely as do
breaches Of the physical law, is it to be supposed
that even the very irnlcst disposal Of their
moral truths upon "a bare physical or physio-
logical basis ~ will tempt them to incur those
penalties!
[ would gladly learn from Mr. Harrison
where, IN Lne C0uISE ol LIS otuNICa. Ut uAa
found ANYTHING inconsistent with what have
Just said i'll the writings OF physicists or
biologists. / would cntrcat him to tell us who
arc the true materialists. "tle scientific special
lists - who neglect all philosophical and relig-
ious synthcsis,' and who submit religion to
the test OF the scapel or the electric battcry';
where the matcri.ll,sm which is ''nlarked by the
ignoring Of religion. the passing by on the other
side and shutting the ewes to the spiritual hsto-
~ OF mankind" is to he found
will not believe that these phrases are meant
to apply to a1iy scientific men OF whom have
coypjzancc or any unrecognized system OF sci
ent,tis thought tthey would be too absurdly
inappropriate), and l cannot believe that Mr.
Harrison illllul1eS in empty rhetoric But am
flispost i to think that they would not have been
rsed at all except for That dccp-scatcd sympathy
with the - in|,alient theo]ogiau y hIch charac-
tcrizes the Positlvist School. AMI crops out.
Enthusiastically enough, III more than one part
OF MIR. HaTrison's essay.
Sir. Harrison tells us that Posjtivism fe pre-
pared to meet the theolo*iaus." ! agree With
him, though not exactly in his sense OF the
words indeed, / have formerly expressed the
opinion that the meeting took place long ago,
aud that the faithful lovers, impclleu ~ the III
ssluct Of tru: affinity OF nature. have met to
part 10 more. Eccle e:lastical to the core from
the beginning, Pas;tlvisfn is nov excnp!ifvl!g
the Law that the outward garment ADJUSTS ltself
sooner or later, to the inward !nau. FROM It's
founder onward, stricken with metaphysical
Incompetence aud equally incapable OF apprc-
ciatiug the :rue spirit Of scientific method It Is
now cssaviug TO cover tho nakcdncss OF its
philosophical matcr!alism With The rags OF