The sun., 1903-06-07
Science and the Origin of Life.

The columns OF the London Times
have lately afforded an arena for con-
troversy provoked by Lord kELyIN's
assertion that. so far is science from
denying creative power that she posi-
lively affirms its existence At the same
time, Lord KELVIN admitted that his
own department Of research presents
less evidence of creative and designing
processes than does biology. This di-
vision Of natural laws is pronounced un-
warranted by Prof. RAY LANCASTER, and
Sir w. T. THIsELToN-DYER suggests that
Lord KELVIN wants to keep free hand
for himself, though he hampers the
biologists with his theological dogma.
1t seems to be generally admitted that
Lord kELvIN's dichotomy is illogical,
and that it is unreasonable to assume
the intervention Of a creative power in
the biological sciences but not in the
physical, SO far his opponents have the
best of the controversy
On the other hand, the biologists can
not deny Lord KELvIN's assertion that
something takes place in their depart
ment, to wit, the origin of life. which can
not be explained by physical and chemi-
cal laws. Neither have scientists pro-
vided a substitute for theology. Prof
RAY LANCASTER admits that no sane
man has ever pretended, since science
became definite body of doctrine, that
we can hope to know, or conceive Of the
possibility of knowing, whence the mech
anism [of the universe] has come, why
it is there, whittier it is going and what
there may or may not be beyond and be-
side it which our senses are incapable
of appre eciating, These things are not
explained by science, and never can
be-" Prof HUXLEY also acknowledged
that, while Darwinism had abolished the
notion that every species of animal or
plant was the outcome of a special act Of
creation, there is wider theology
which is not touched by the doctrine of
evolution. This proposition is that the
whole world. living and not living, is the
result of the mutual interaction, accord
ing to definite laws, Of the forces pos
sessed by the molecules, of which the
primitive nebulosity of the universe
was composed, That acute champion
OF theology, PALEY, saw no difficulty in
admitting that the production of things
may be the result Of mechanical dispo-
sitions, fixed beforehand by intelligent
appointment, and kept in action by a
power at the centre" tbs, in fine, mis-
take to say that Lord kELvINs opinion
sweeps away Darwinism. Darwinism is
not swept away unless it is arbitrarily
joined with speculative doctrine Of
materialism.
OF course, Lord kELvINs opponents
have failed to meet his challenge to ac-
count for the origin of life on this planet.
None of the solutions of this problem
put forward has been accepted by scien-
fists. Lord KELVIN himself was re-
sponsble many years ago for the sugges-
tion that the first living matter might
have been brought to our planet at some
distant age by a meteorite or comet
which had borne it from another world.
This, of course, was no solution at all, for
it merely transferred the site Of the prob
lem to Mars, or Jupiter, or some other
planetary body belonging to our own or
to another solar system. Another at
tempt at explanation which has been
universally discarded by scientists was
the carbon theory propounded by
HAEcKEL. According to this hypothesis,
carbon has life potentially within it, and
long ago took unto itself, under oondi-
tions not now reproducible, the other
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