The Catholic World, Vol. 07, April 1868 to September, 1868Various
Religion
The Catholic World, Vol. 07, April 1868 to September, 1868
Various
Catholic Church -- Periodicals
It is due to Professor Draper to say, that in this respect he
only sins in common with the great body of modern physiologists.
Physiology--indeed, all the inductive sciences--have been for a
long time cast in a materialistic mould, and men of firm faith,
and sincere and ardent piety, are materialists, and, therefore,
atheists, the moment they enter the field of physical science,
and deny in their science what they resolutely affirm and would
die for in their faith. Hence the quarrel between the theologians
and the _savans_. The _savans_ have not reconciled
their so-called science with the great theological truths,
whether of reason or revelation, which only the fool doubts, or
in his heart denies. This proves that our physicists have made
far less progress in the sciences than they are in the habit of
boasting. That cannot be true in physiology which is false in
theology; and a physiology that denies all reality but matter, or
finds no place in it for God and the human soul, is no true
physiological science. The physiologist has far less evidence of
the existence of matter than I have of the existence of spirit;
and it is only by spirit that the material is apprehensible, or
can be shown to exist. Matter only mimics or imitates spirit.
{156}
The continual changes that take place from time to time in
physiology show--we say it with all deference to
physiologists--that it has not risen as yet to the dignity of a
science. It is of no use to speak of progress, for changes which
transform the whole body of a pretended science are not progress.
We may not have mastered all the facts of a science; we may be
discovering new facts every day; but if we have, for instance,
the true physiological science, the discovery of new facts may
throw new light on the science--may enable us to see clearer its
reach, and understand better its application, but cannot change
or modify its principles. As long as your pretended science is
liable to be changed in its principles, it is a theory, an
hypothesis, not a science. Physiologists have accumulated a large
stock of physiological facts, to which they are daily adding new
facts. We willingly admit these facts are not useless, and the
time spent in collecting them is not wasted; on the contrary, we
hold them to be valuable, and appreciate very highly the labor,
the patient research, and the nice observation that has
collected, classified, and described them; but we dare assert,
notwithstanding, that the science of physiology is yet to be
created; and created it will not be till physiologists have
learned and are able to set forth the dialectic relations of
spirit and matter, soul and body, God and nature, free-will and
necessity. Till then there may be known facts, but there will be
no physiological science. As far as what is called the science of
human life, or human physiology, goes, Professor Draper's work is
an able and commendable work; but he must permit us to say that
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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