Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1898-05-04

HulSneO. lie lnen bttefnptS W biNe "
complete and exact description. Thus
with the experimental sciences: pre-
tending to explain reality, they despoii
It of all that makes 1t real. and then
they give us only arbitrary generaliza-
TONS
knowledge Of the way we should
live was always, Tolstoi says. con-
sl1ered the science Of sciences. The
lhborer supposes that the men who
study shall be able to tell him WHERE
to find happiness. He expects science
should teach him how to live. how to
act. how to control his Instincts and
what TO believe. But instead OF reply
ing to these important questions science
talks about distances between the
heavenly bodies and the vibrations OF
x-rays The poor man finds no salts
faction; he asks how to live. Then
science replies that this is II problem oil
sociology. but before answering the
vital question. 1t is necessary to study
zoology, botany, physiology; for the
time being however. we are confined
to the study Of atoms and the princi-
pies on which motion is communicated
to the worlds And when this reply Is
regarded as unsatisfactory, the still
more unsatisfactory assurance Is given
that science has no aim at all; that It
ls it's own end and that its dietn are
final. To this the count observes;
"Now science Is wrong when 1t claims
this. Science cannot throw its light be-
ynnd the limits of observation. Just as
n lamp lights poorly In proportion as
objects are distant, not lighting AT al
the objects beyond Its reach, so no hu-
man science can ever teach man OK
cept In fragmentary way. 1t may eN-
piain Its own direct object well: objects
more remote. not 90 well; ana those ~
Il distance not at all. But the essential
thing on which our judgment OF values
must rest Is the total view of life, its
meaning and aims. Science cannot rise
to that view, religion alone can do 30.
our men Of science have no religion
and admit none. hence their futile claim
that science teaches all things and Is
Its own end. However. 1t does not
tench all things IL buslcs Itself only
with what Is easiest to reach and study.
II does not teach US how to live and be
happy. Such tenchlng Is secondary
and is committed to the theologian,
jurist. or economist This spirit on the
mart of science was never stronger than
II Is now. Science IA constantly point
ing to its victories over the forces of
mature. to electricity, machinery.nnd the
like: but sensible men do not see those
things. they see only the misery. suffer
ing. degradation and hardships 20
which so many are subjected, and the
little prospect of relief that is in sight.
Were our men OF science to teach men
more about religious, moral, and So
clal truths we would not see the hun.
dredth part Of suffering and hardship
which are now seen on every side"
We may add TO this strong and phllo-
sophical statement of the aims and the
shortcomings OF the sciences. that what
IL highly needed In our day is n dis
exclusive domain Of scientists and that
which Is common ground. Views man
ifestly unphilosophcal. not to say alb
surd, obtain currency because OF pres
tlge from their adoption hy students
ADMITTEDLY skilled In reading the facts
of nature. People know that they are
capable Of precise observation. and err
roneously conclude that their differences
from such observations are on that
ground authoritative. although the fact
is that n scientist may speak with GER
talnty as long as he confines himself to
phenomena, and yet be entirely wrong
when he commences to build
hypothesis. Whenever he pass
es from the field OF physical
observation and commences to
nhilosophize on the nature and origin
OF those things. he leaves his own do
main and enters that of universal hui
man thought. There he has no advan-
tage over his neighbor, whose peculiar
eminence may be in some other direc-
ton. II, for instance, a student OF ply
slcal nature, from his superior know
edge of the structure of the brain.
claims the right to say that organ is
the origin OF thought, or that man came
from beast. he Is of his own ground
and tries to construct n theory which
is as much nssailable when stated by
the most eminent scholar as by the
tyro. Were the proper domain and
exact authority of the sciences
understood, there would be less
disappointment, less strife. They
would not be unduly idolized and there
fore better able to serve mankind in its
search for truth and happiness.