The Washington herald., 1909-03-24
LECTURES ON PHILOSOPHY
Hyland C. Kirk Takes Man" as
His Topic.
Triumph OF Evolution Shown-Ad
dress at George Washington
University.

In addressing the Society for Philo-
sophical Inquiry at George Washington
University. yesterday afternoon, HyIand
c. Kirk, discussing the subject OF phil
osophy and physical perfection said:
Man is the highest product OF evolution
on this earth. but how can any one sup
pose tfst he has reached the acne OF his
development when he has neither gained
anything like a complete knowledge Of
himself, nor yet the power 10 uve2 Prof
Irving Fisher. Of Yale University. is re-
ported as saying recently:
There is no iron law OF mortality.
Almost all the causes OF death are de-
stroyable, and while death itself IS not
destroyabie. lie can be greatly length
ened.
This is very encouraging so far as 8;
goes. and yet dogmatlc assertions DO no,
count for much. How does Prof. Fisher
know that human death II not destroyable,
Millions have declared that the earth was
not a sphere. and as many more that
il did not revolve around the sun. DID
such statements prove their assertions?
The French authorities once ordered
saying that a vehicle could be made %
run by steam; a Postmaster General OF
the United States declared that Morse
was insane because he insisted that he
could communicate with remote places .by
means Of an electric wire; DR.. Lardner
predicted that no ocean steamer could
carry coal enough 20 cross successfully
the Atlantic. and quite recently Il was
asserted that no aeroplane exceeding nifty
ponds IN weight could possibly navigate
the air.
True. none Of these things had been
experienced before these assertions were
made. and the whole worid-the thought
less worid-Wss in harty agreement with
these denUnciatiOn; so that X mere as
sertOn counts for anything. the Iocomo-
tive. the electric telegraph. the ocean
steamship. and aeroplane would never
have been realized. The absurdity IN
volved has all been reversed showing
that experience OF inexperience counts
for little. unless all the facts are known.
OF good and sufficient reasons are as
signed
"Out Of the desire 70 live. here and
row, springiug spontaneously in the hu-
man breast. necessarily arises all theories
and hopes Of immortality That ideal
ism which seeks satisfaction IN DENYING
objective existence, and claiming a purely
ideal or spirituahstic one, Is thus seen 10
be but a strained phase Of this very de-
sire, its chief value lying IN afordins
space for the play OF the intellect. on the
occult side.
we may concede 70 philosophy that
intelligence IS the most important func-
ton Of the universe-reserving. Of course
enough substance for mind 10 work upon
so that being may not consist Of a
blank stare OF various intellects al each
other-yet along with that concession II
may be asked II the observed and expert
enced facts Of TIE natural world, cOupIed
with this desire 20 live. do not indicate
that nature is In process Of individuRliz-
Ing intelligence through its self-rcaliza-
ton in man-in other words. perfectinc
man for an enduring life
The world to-day Is better prepared
than ever before for attempting its solu-
tiOn. but is retarded by false notions as
10 the reality Of things and mans powers
10 know the truth. as well as by personal
greed, and thousand diverting inter
ests relatively trivial in themselves