V. I. Lenin

Source: ru:PSS/v29;es:MT
Translated: machine translation (DeepSeek) from the Russian; AI-translated.

MAX VERWORN. “THE BIOGENIC HYPOTHESIS”
JENA, 1903
(Med. 5218)

The author develops a special theme concerning “living substance” and the chemical metabolism in it. A special theme.

There is an index of literature on the given question.
cf. p. 9, definition of “Enzyme” 195

* P. Volkmann. “Erkenntnistheoretische Grundzüge der Naturwissenschaften”. Leipzig-Berlin, 1910. Ed.
** P. Volkmann. “Epistemological Foundations of the Natural Sciences”. St. Petersburg, 1911. Ed.

V. I. LENIN

P. 112—“working hypothesis” is said to be the essence. For example, materialism in the 19th century, it is said, was of great benefit to the natural sciences—but now “no natural-scientist philosopher will any longer consider the materialist conception suitable” (112). There are no eternal truths. The significance of ideas, their Fruchtbarkeit*, their role as a “ferment”—“which creates and acts” (113).

Characteristic here is the naive expression of the view that “materialism” is a hindrance! No conception whatever of dialectical materialism and a complete inability to distinguish materialism as a philosophy from the separate, hidebound views of the philistines of a given period who call themselves materialists.

The author’s aim is “the mechanical analysis of the phenomena of life” (p. 1, Preface)—reference to the last chapter of “Allgemeine Physiologie”**.

Instead of “living protein” (p. 25)—an unclear concept, it is said—instead of “living protein molecule” (“since a molecule cannot be alive”) the author proposes to speak of “biogenmolecule” (25).

The transformation of the chemical into the vital—that, apparently, is the essence.

To move more freely in this new, still obscure, hypothetical field,
away with “materialism”, away with the “binding” old ideas (“molecule”),
let us call it by a new name (biogen), so as to search more freely for new knowledge! NB. On the question of the sources and living motives of contemporary “idealism” in physics and natural science in general.