MODERN PHILOSOPHICAL CONCEPTIONS OF LIFE

ISBN: 9781330140154 Géneros: PSAJ Sinópsis: Excerpt from Modern Philosophical Conceptions of Life An Address Delivered Before the Philosophical Society of Washington DecemberNow please to understand that when I say I recognize all the chemical phases of these processes to be the results of the ordinary chemical laws I do not entertain any mental reservation with regard to the unrestricted application of these laws I cannot for a mo ment agree with those physiologists who have imagined the vital principle to thwart or interfere with or counteract these laws in any way I know indeed that we are far from being as thoroughly acquainted as we may by and by hope to be with the chemical phenomena of living beings that many of the questions are very difficult so that as yet with all our labor we have obtained but partial or even contradictory results but I find in this only a reason for further investigation no logical difficulty of a radical kind In a general way I recognize that the matter of which living beings are composed is built up of elementary substances belonging to the inorganic world and that it consists of atoms possessed of the very same properties and obedient to the very same laws as like atoms in inorganic bodies Yet I confess I find in all this no reason for denying the existence of a vital principle only I do not figure this principle in my mind as a hostile power interfering in any way with the chemical tendencies of the atoms present I liken its operations rather to those of the chemist in his laboratory who obtains the results he needs only on the condition of most rigid obedience to chemical lawsAbout the PublisherForgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books Find more at wwwforgottenbookscomThis book is a reproduction of an important historical work Forgotten Books uses stateoftheart technology to digitally reconstruct the work preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the a