Criticisms on The Origin of Species.docx
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Criticisms on The Origin of Species.docx
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CriticismsonTheOriginofSpecies
Criticismson"TheOriginofSpecies"
byThomasH.Huxley1.UEBERDIEDARWIN'SCHESCHPFUNGSTHEORIE;EINVORTRAG,VONA.K
LLIKER.Leipzig,1864.
2.EXAMINATIONDULIVREDEM.DARWINSURL'ORIGINEDESESPECES.PARP.
FLOURENS.Paris,1864.
InthecourseofthepresentyearseveralforeigncommentariesuponMr.
Darwin'sgreatworkhavemadetheirappearance.Thosewhohaveperusedthatremarkablechapterofthe'AntiquityofMan,'inwhichSirCharlesLyelldrawsaparallelbetweenthedevelopmentofspeciesandthatoflanguages,willbegladtohearthatoneofthemosteminentphilologersofGermany,ProfessorSchleicher,has,independently,publishedamostinstructiveandphilosophicalpamphlet(anexcellentnoticeofwhichistobefoundinthe'Reader',forFebruary27thofthisyear)supportingsimilarviewswithalltheweightofhisspecialknowledgeandestablishedauthorityasalinguist.ProfessorHaeckel,towhomSchleicheraddresseshimself,previouslytookoccasion,inhissplendidmonographonthe'Radiolaria'*,toexpresshishighappreciationof,andgeneralconcordancewith,Mr.Darwin'sviews.
[footnote]*'DieRadiolarien:
eineMonographie',p.231.
Butthemostelaboratecriticismsofthe'OriginofSpecies'whichhaveappearedaretwoworksofverywidelydifferentmerit,theonebyProfessorKolliker,thewell-knownanatomistandhistologistofWurzburg;theotherbyM.Flourens,PerpetualSecretaryoftheFrenchAcademyofSciences.
ProfessorKolliker'scriticalessay'UpontheDarwinianTheory'is,likeallthatproceedsfromthepenofthatthoughtfulandaccomplishedwriter,worthyofthemostcarefulconsideration.ItcomprisesabriefbutclearsketchofDarwin'sviews,followedbyanenumerationoftheleadingdifficultiesinthewayoftheiracceptance;difficultieswhichwouldappeartobeinsurmountabletoProfessorKolliker,inasmuchasheproposestoreplaceMr.Darwin'sTheorybyonewhichhetermsthe'TheoryofHeterogeneousGeneration.'Weshallproceedtoconsiderfirstthedestructive,andsecondly,theconstructiveportionoftheessay.
WeregrettofindourselvescompelledtodissentverywidelyfrommanyofProfessorKolliker'sremarks;andfromnonemorethoroughlythanfromthoseinwhichheseekstodefinewhatwemaytermthephilosophicalpositionofDarwinism.
"Darwin,"saysProfessorKolliker,"is,inthefullestsenseoftheword,aTeleologist.Hesaysquitedistinctly(FirstEdition,pp.199,200)thateveryparticularinthestructureofananimalhasbeencreatedforitsbenefit,andheregardsthewholeseriesofanimalformsonlyfromthispointofview."
Andagain:
"7.TheteleologicalgeneralconceptionadoptedbyDarwinisamistakenone.
"Varietiesariseirrespectivelyofthenotionofpurpose,orofutility,accordingtogenerallawsofNature,andmaybeeitheruseful,orhurtful,orindifferent.
"Theassumptionthatanorganismexistsonlyonaccountofsomedefiniteendinview,andrepresentssomethingmorethantheincorporationofageneralidea,orlaw,impliesaone-sidedconceptionoftheuniverse.
Assuredly,everyorganhas,andeveryorganismfulfils,itsend,butitspurposeisnottheconditionofitsexistence.Everyorganismisalsosufficientlyperfectforthepurposeitserves,andinthat,atleast,itisuselesstoseekforacauseofitsimprovement."
Itissingularhowdifferentlyoneandthesamebookwillimpressdifferentminds.Thatwhichstruckthepresentwritermostforciblyonhisfirstperusalofthe'OriginofSpecies'wastheconvictionthatTeleology,ascommonlyunderstood,hadreceiveditsdeathblowatMr.
Darwin'shands.Fortheteleologicalargumentrunsthus:
anorganororganism(A)ispreciselyfittedtoperformafunctionorpurpose(B);
thereforeitwasspeciallyconstructedtoperformthatfunction.InPaley'sfamousillustration,theadaptationofallthepartsofthewatchtothefunction,orpurpose,ofshowingthetime,isheldtobeevidencethatthewatchwasspeciallycontrivedtothatend;ontheground,thattheonlycauseweknowof,competenttoproducesuchaneffectasawatchwhichshallkeeptime,isacontrivingintelligenceadaptingthemeansdirectlytothatend.
Suppose,however,thatanyonehadbeenabletoshowthatthewatchhadnotbeenmadedirectlybyanyperson,butthatitwastheresultofthemodificationofanotherwatchwhichkepttimebutpoorly;andthatthisagainhadproceededfromastructurewhichcouldhardlybecalledawatchatall--seeingthatithadnofiguresonthedialandthehandswererudimentary;andthatgoingbackandbackintimewecameatlasttoarevolvingbarrelastheearliesttraceablerudimentofthewholefabric.Andimaginethatithadbeenpossibletoshowthatallthesechangeshadresulted,first,fromatendencyofthestructuretovaryindefinitely;andsecondly,fromsomethinginthesurroundingworldwhichhelpedallvariationsinthedirectionofanaccuratetime-keeper,andcheckedallthoseinotherdirections;thenitisobviousthattheforceofPaley'sargumentwouldbegone.Foritwouldbedemonstratedthatanapparatusthoroughlywelladaptedtoaparticularpurposemightbetheresultofamethodoftrialanderrorworkedbyunintelligentagents,aswellasofthedirectapplicationofthemeansappropriatetothatend,byanintelligentagent.
Nowitappearstousthatwhatwehavehere,forillustration'ssake,supposedtobedonewiththewatch,isexactlywhattheestablishmentofDarwin'sTheorywilldofortheorganicworld.Forthenotionthateveryorganismhasbeencreatedasitisandlaunchedstraightatapurpose,Mr.Darwinsubstitutestheconceptionofsomethingwhichmayfairlybetermedamethodoftrialanderror.Organismsvaryincessantly;ofthesevariationsthefewmeetwithsurroundingconditionswhichsuitthemandthrive;themanyareunsuitedandbecomeextinguished.
AccordingtoTeleology,eachorganismislikeariflebulletfiredstraightatamark;accordingtoDarwin,organismsarelikegrapeshotofwhichonehitssomethingandtherestfallwide.
Fortheteleologistanorganismexistsbecauseitwasmadefortheconditionsinwhichitisfound;fortheDarwiniananorganismexistsbecause,outofmanyofitskind,itistheonlyonewhichhasbeenabletopersistintheconditionsinwhichitisfound.
Teleologyimpliesthattheorgansofeveryorganismareperfectandcannotbeimproved;theDarwiniantheorysimplyaffirmsthattheyworkwellenoughtoenabletheorganismtoholditsownagainstsuchcompetitorsasithasmetwith,butadmitsthepossibilityofindefiniteimprovement.Butanexamplemaybringintoclearerlighttheprofoundoppositionbetweentheordinaryteleological,andtheDarwinian,conception.
Catscatchmice,smallbirdsandthelike,verywell.Teleologytellsusthattheydosobecausetheywereexpresslyconstructedforsodoing--thattheyareperfectmousingapparatuses,soperfectandsodelicatelyadjustedthatnooneoftheirorganscouldbealtered,withoutthechangeinvolvingthealterationofalltherest.Darwinismaffirmsonthecontrary,thattherewasnoexpressconstructionconcernedinthematter;butthatamongthemultitudinousvariationsoftheFelinestock,manyofwhichdiedoutfromwantofpowertoresistopposinginfluences,some,thecats,werebetterfittedtocatchmicethanothers,whencetheythroveandpersisted,inproportiontotheadvantageovertheirfellowsthusofferedtothem.
Farfromimaginingthatcatsexist'inorder'tocatchmicewell,Darwinismsupposesthatcatsexist'because'theycatchmicewell--mousingbeingnottheend,butthecondition,oftheirexistence.Andifthecattypehaslongpersistedasweknowit,theinterpretationofthefactuponDarwinianprincipleswouldbe,notthatthecatshaveremainedinvariable,butthatsuchvarietiesashaveincessantlyoccurredhavebeen,onthewhole,lessfittedtogetonintheworldthantheexistingstock.
Ifweapprehendthespiritofthe'OriginofSpecies'rightly,then,nothingcanbemoreentirelyandabsolutelyopposedtoTeleology,asitiscommonlyunderstood,thantheDarwinianTheory.Sofarfrombeinga"Teleologistinthefullestsenseoftheword,"wewoulddenythatheisaTeleologistintheordinarysenseatall;andweshouldsaythat,apartfromhismeritsasanaturalist,hehasrenderedamostremarkableservicetophilosophicalthoughtbyenablingthestudentofNaturetorecognise,totheirfullestextent,thoseadaptationstopurposewhicharesostrikingintheorganicworld,andwhichTeleologyhasdonegoodserviceinkeepingbeforeourminds,withoutbeingfalsetothefundamentalprinciplesofascientificconceptionoftheuniverse.TheapparentlydivergingteachingsoftheTeleologistandoftheMorphologistarereconciledbytheDarwinianhypothesis.
Butleavingourownimpressionsofthe'OriginofSpecies,'andturningtothosepassagesespeciallycitedbyProfessorKolliker,wecannotadmitthattheybeartheinterpretationheputsuponthem.Darwin,ifwereadhimrightly,does'not'affirmthateverydetailinthestructureofananimalhasbeencreatedforitsbenefit.Hiswordsare(p.199):
--
"Theforegoingremarksleadmetosayafewwordsontheprotestlatelymadebysomenaturalistsagainsttheutilitariandoctrinethateverydetailofstructurehasbeenproducedforthegoodofitspossessor.
Theybelievethatverymanystructureshavebeencreatedforbeautyintheeyesofman,orformerevariety.Thisdoctrine,iftrue,wouldbeabsolutelyfataltomytheory--yetIfullyadmitthatmanystructuresareofnodirectusetotheirpossessor."
Andaftersundryillustrationsandqualifications,heconcludes(p.
200):
--
"Henceeverydetailofstructureinevery
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