or credible. The fundamental
unity of organic evolution and inorganic evolution is yet to be proved,
while the laws which govern living matter are certainly in part peculiar
to life. For this reason the evolution of astronomy, of dynamic geology,
of geography, as well as the purely hypothetical evolution of chemistry,
must be separated from life evolution. Cosmic evolution and organic
evolution show, or seem to show, some divergence from each other. There
are some elements which are not held in common, or which, at least, are
not identical when measured in human terms. For the latter, the science
of organic evolution, there is therefore certainly need of a distinctive
term. This has been lately furnished by Professor Patrick Geddes, who
has chosen the term bionomics. Bionomics ([Greek: bios], life; [Greek:
nomos], law or custom) is the science which treats of the changes in
life-forms, and of the laws and forces on which these changes depend.

Even as thus restricted organic evolution, or bionomics, is the greatest
of the sciences, including in its subject-matter, not only all natural
history, not only processes like cell-division and nutrition, not only
the laws of heredity, variation, natural selection, and mutual help, but
all matters of human history, and the most complicated relations of
civics, economics, or ethics. In this enormous science no fact can be
without a meaning, and no fact or its underlying forces can be separated
from the great forces whose interaction from moment to moment writes the
great story of life.

And as the basis to the science of bionomics, as to all other science,
must be taken the conception that nothing is due to chance or whim.
Whatever occurs does so as the resultant of moving forces. Could we know
and estimate these forces, we should have, so far as our estimate is
accurate and our logic perfect, the gift of prophecy. Knowing the law,
and knowing the facts, we should foretell the results. To be able in
some degree to do this is the art of life. It is the ultimate end of
science, which finds its final purpose in human conduct.

"A law," according to Darwin, "is the ascertained sequence of events."
The necessary sequence of events it is, in fact, but man knows nothing
of what is necessary, only of what has been ascertained to occur.
Because human observation and logic can be only partial, no law of life
can be fully stated. Because the processes of the human mind are human,
with org