第 30 节
作者:无组织      更新:2022-04-21 11:08      字数:9322
  the early evolutionists in my work; 〃Evolution; Old and New;〃 first
  published ten years ago; and not; so far as I am aware; detected in
  serious error or omission。  If; however; Mr。 Wallace still thinks it
  safe to presume so far on the ignorance of his readers as to say
  that the only two important works on evolution before Mr。 Darwin's
  were Lamarck's Philosophie Zoologique and the 〃Vestiges of
  Creation;〃 how fathomable is the ignorance of the average reviewer
  likely to have been thirty years ago; when the 〃Origin of Species〃
  was first published?  Mr。 Darwin claimed evolution as his own
  theory。  Of course; he would not claim it if he had no right to it。
  Then by all means give him the credit of it。  This was the most
  natural view to take; and it was generally taken。  It was not;
  moreover; surprising that people failed to appreciate all the
  niceties of Mr。 Darwin's 〃distinctive feature〃 which; whether
  distinctive or no; was assuredly not distinct; and was never frankly
  contrasted with the older view; as it would have been by one who
  wished it to be understood and judge upon its merits。  It was in
  consequence of this omission that people failed to note how fast and
  loose Mr。 Darwin played with his distinctive feature; and how
  readily he dropped it on occasion。
  It may be said that the question of what was thought by the
  predecessors of Mr。 Darwin is; after all; personal; and of no
  interest to the general public; comparable to that of the main
  issuewhether we are to accept evolution or not。  Granted that
  Buffon; Erasmus Darwin; and Lamarck bore the burden and heat of the
  day before Mr。 Charles Darwin was born; they did not bring people
  round to their opinion; whereas Mr。 Darwin and Mr。 Wallace did; and
  the public cannot be expected to look beyond this broad and
  indisputable fact。
  The answer to this is; that the theory which Messrs。 Darwin and
  Wallace have persuaded the public to accept is demonstrably false;
  and that the opponents of evolution are certain in the end to
  triumph over it。  Paley; in his 〃Natural Theology;〃 long since
  brought forward far too much evidence of design in animal
  organisation to allow of our setting down its marvels to the
  accumulations of fortunate accident; undirected by will; effort and
  intelligence。  Those who examine the main facts of animal and
  vegetable organisation without bias will; no doubt; ere long
  conclude that all animals and vegetables are derived ultimately from
  unicellular organisms; but they will not less readily perceive that
  the evolution of species without the concomitance and direction of
  mind and effort is as inconceivable as is the independent creation
  of every individual species。  The two facts; evolution and design;
  are equally patent to plain people。  There is no escaping from
  either。  According to Messrs。 Darwin and Wallace; we may have
  evolution; but are on no account to have it as mainly due to
  intelligent effort; guided by ever higher and higher range of
  sensations; perceptions; and ideas。  We are to set it down to the
  shuffling of cards; or the throwing of dice without the play; and
  this will never stand。
  According to the older men; cards did indeed count for much; but
  play counted for more。  They denied the teleology of the timethat
  is to say; the teleology that saw all adaptation to surroundings as
  part of a plan devised long ages since by a quasi…anthropomorphic
  being who schemed everything out much as a man would do; but on an
  infinitely vaster scale。  This conception they found repugnant alike
  to intelligence and conscience; but; though they do not seem to have
  perceived it; they left the door open for a design more true and
  more demonstrable than that which they excluded。  By making their
  variations mainly due to effort and intelligence; they made organic
  development run on all…fours with human progress; and with
  inventions which we have watched growing up from small beginnings。
  They made the development of man from the amoeba part and parcel of
  the story that may be read; though on an infinitely smaller scale;
  in the development of our most powerful marine engines from the
  common kettle; or of our finest microscopes from the dew…drop。
  The development of the steam…engine and the microscope is due to
  intelligence and design; which did indeed utilise chance
  suggestions; but which improved on these; and directed each step of
  their accumulation; though never foreseeing more than a step or two
  ahead; and often not so much as this。  The fact; as I have elsewhere
  urged; that the man who made the first kettle did not foresee the
  engines of the Great Eastern; or that he who first noted the
  magnifying power of the dew…drop had no conception of our present
  microscopesthe very limited amount; in fact; of design and
  intelligence that was called into play at any one pointthis does
  not make us deny that the steam…engine and microscope owe their
  development to design。  If each step of the road was designed; the
  whole journey was designed; though the particular end was not
  designed when the journey was begun。  And so is it; according to the
  older view of evolution; with the development of those living
  organs; or machines; that are born with us; as part of the
  perambulating carpenter's chest we call our bodies。  The older view
  gives us our design; and gives us our evolution too。  If it refuses
  to see a quasi…anthropomorphic God modelling each species from
  without as a potter models clay; it gives us God as vivifying and
  indwelling in all His creaturesHe in them; and they in Him。  If it
  refuses to see God outside the universe; it equally refuses to see
  any part of the universe as outside God。  If it makes the universe
  the body of God; it also makes God the soul of the universe。  The
  question at issue; then; between the Darwinism of Erasmus Darwin and
  the neo…Darwinism of his grandson; is not a personal one; nor
  anything like a personal one。  It not only involves the existence of
  evolution; but it affects the view we take of life and things in an
  endless variety of most interesting and important ways。  It is
  imperative; therefore; on those who take any interest in these
  matters; to place side by side in the clearest contrast the views of
  those who refer the evolution of species mainly to accumulation of
  variations that have no other inception than chance; and of that
  older school which makes design perceive and develop still further
  the goods that chance provides。
  But over and above this; which would be in itself sufficient; the
  historical mode of studying any question is the only one which will
  enable us to comprehend it effectually。  The personal element cannot
  be eliminated from the consideration of works written by living
  persons for living persons。  We want to know who is whowhom we can
  depend upon to have no other end than the making things clear to
  himself and his readers; and whom we should mistrust as having an
  ulterior aim on which he is more intent than on the furthering of
  our better understanding。  We want to know who is doing his best to
  help us; and who is only trying to make us help him; or to bolster
  up the system in which his interests are vested。  There is nothing
  that will throw more light upon these points than the way in which a
  man behaves towards those who have worked in the same field with
  himself; and; again; than his style。  A man's style; as Buffon long
  since said; is the man himself。  By style; I do not; of course; mean
  grammar or rhetoric; but that style of which Buffon again said that
  it is like happiness; and vient de la douceur de l'ame。  When we
  find a man concealing worse than nullity of meaning under sentences
  that sound plausibly enough; we should distrust him much as we
  should a fellow…traveller whom we caught trying to steal our watch。
  We often cannot judge of the truth or falsehood of facts for
  ourselves; but we most of us know enough of human nature to be able
  to tell a good witness from a bad one。
  However this may be; and whatever we may think of judging systems by
  the directness or indirectness of those who advance them;
  biologists; having committed themselves too rashly; would have been
  more than human if they had not shown some pique towards those who
  dared to say; first; that the theory of Messrs。 Darwin and Wallace
  was unworkable; and secondly; that even though it were workable it
  would not justify either of them in claiming evolution。  When
  biologists show pique at all they generally show a good deal of
  pique; but pique or no pique; they shunned Mr。 Spencer's objection
  above referred to with a persistency more unanimous and obstinate
  than I ever remember to have seen displayed even by professional
  truth…seekers。  I find no rejoinder to it from Mr。 Darwin himself;
  between 1865 when it was first put forward; and 1882 when Mr。 Darwin
  died。  It has been similarly 〃ostrichised〃 by all the leading
  apologists of Darwinism; so far at least as I have been able to
  observe; and I have followed the matter closely for many years。  Mr。
  Spencer has repeated and amplified it in his recent work; 〃The
  Factors of Organic Evolution;〃 but it still remains without so much
  as an attempt at serious answer; for the perfunctory an