A Critical Examination of On The Origin of Species.docx
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A Critical Examination of On The Origin of Species.docx
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ACriticalExaminationofOnTheOriginofSpecies
ACriticalExaminationof"OnTheOriginofSpecies"
byThomasH.HuxleyINtheprecedingfivelecturesIhaveendeavouredtogiveyouanaccountofthosefacts,andofthosereasoningsfromfacts,whichformthedatauponwhichalltheoriesregardingthecausesofthephenomenaoforganicnaturemustbebased.And,althoughIhavehadfrequentoccasiontoquoteMr.Darwin--asallpersonshereafter,inspeakinguponthesesubjects,willhaveoccasiontoquotehisfamousbookonthe"OriginofSpecies,"--youmustyetrememberthat,whereverIhavequotedhim,ithasnotbeenupontheoreticalpoints,orforstatementsinanywayconnectedwithhisparticularspeculations,butonmattersoffact,broughtforwardbyhimself,orcollectedbyhimself,andwhichappearincidentallyinhisbook.Ifaman'will'makeabook,professingtodiscussasinglequestion,anencyclopaedia,Icannothelpit.
Now,havinghadanopportunityofconsideringinthissortofwaythedifferentstatementsbearinguponalltheorieswhatsoever,Ihavetolaybeforeyou,asfairlyasIcan,whatisMr.Darwin'sviewofthematterandwhatpositionhistheorieshold,whenjudgedbytheprincipleswhichIhavepreviouslylaiddown,asdecidingourjudgmentsuponalltheoriesandhypotheses.
Ihavealreadystatedtoyouthattheinquiryrespectingthecausesofthephenomenaoforganicnatureresolvesitselfintotwoproblems--thefirstbeingthequestionoftheoriginationoflivingororganicbeings;andthesecondbeingthetotallydistinctproblemofthemodificationandperpetuationoforganicbeingswhentheyhavealreadycomeintoexistence.ThefirstquestionMr.Darwindoesnottouch;hedoesnotdealwithitatall;buthesays--giventheoriginoforganicmatter--supposingitscreationtohavealreadytakenplace,myobjectistoshowinconsequenceofwhatlawsandwhatdemonstrablepropertiesoforganicmatter,andofitsenvironments,suchstatesoforganicnatureasthosewithwhichweareacquaintedmusthavecomeabout.This,youwillobserve,isaperfectlylegitimateproposition;everypersonhasarighttodefinethelimitsoftheinquirywhichhesetsbeforehimself;
andyetitisamostsingularthingthatinallthemultifarious,and,notunfrequently,ignorantattackswhichhavebeenmadeuponthe'OriginofSpecies',thereisnothingwhichhasbeenmorespeciouslycriticisedthanthisparticularlimitation.Ifpeoplehavenothingelsetourgeagainstthebook,theysay--"Well,afterall,yousee,Mr.
Darwin'sexplanationofthe'OriginofSpecies'isnotgoodformuch,because,inthelongrun,headmitsthathedoesnotknowhoworganicmatterbegantoexist.Butifyouadmitanyspecialcreationforthefirstparticleoforganicmatteryoumayjustaswelladmititforalltherest;fivehundredorfivethousanddistinctcreationsarejustasintelligible,andjustaslittledifficulttounderstand,asone."Theanswertothesecavilsistwo-fold.Inthefirstplace,allhumaninquirymuststopsomewhere;allourknowledgeandallourinvestigationcannottakeusbeyondthelimitssetbythefiniteandrestrictedcharacterofourfaculties,ordestroytheendlessunknown,whichaccompanies,likeitsshadow,theendlessprocessionofphenomena.SofarasIcanventuretoofferanopiniononsuchamatter,thepurposeofourbeinginexistence,thehighestobjectthathumanbeingscansetbeforethemselves,isnotthepursuitofanysuchchimeraastheannihilationoftheunknown;butitissimplytheunweariedendeavourtoremoveitsboundariesalittlefurtherfromourlittlesphereofaction.
Iwonderifanyhistorianwouldforamomentadmittheobjection,thatitispreposteroustotroubleourselvesaboutthehistoryoftheRomanEmpire,becausewedonotknowanythingpositiveabouttheoriginandfirstbuildingofthecityofRome!
Woulditbeafairobjectiontourge,respectingthesublimediscoveriesofaNewton,oraKepler,thosegreatphilosophers,whosediscoverieshavebeenoftheprofoundestbenefitandservicetoallmen,--tosaytothem--"Afterallthatyouhavetoldusastohowtheplanetsrevolve,andhowtheyaremaintainedintheirorbits,youcannottelluswhatisthecauseoftheoriginofthesun,moon,andstars.Sowhatistheuseofwhatyouhavedone?
"
Yettheseobjectionswouldnotbeonewhitmorepreposterousthantheobjectionswhichhavebeenmadetothe'OriginofSpecies.'Mr.Darwin,then,hadaperfectrighttolimithisinquiryashepleased,andtheonlyquestionforus--theinquirybeingsolimited--istoascertainwhetherthemethodofhisinquiryissoundorunsound;whetherhehasobeyedthecanonswhichmustguideandgovernallinvestigation,orwhetherhehasbrokenthem;anditwasbecauseourinquirythiseveningisessentiallylimitedtothatquestion,thatIspentagooddealoftimeinaformerlecture(which,perhaps,someofyouthoughtmighthavebeenbetteremployed),inendeavouringtoillustratethemethodandnatureofscientificinquiryingeneral.WeshallnowhavetoputinpracticetheprinciplesthatIthenlaiddown.
Istatedtoyouinsubstance,ifnotinwords,thatwherevertherearecomplexmassesofphenomenatobeinquiredinto,whethertheybephenomenaoftheaffairsofdailylife,orwhethertheybelongtothemoreabstruseanddifficultproblemslaidbeforethephilosopher,ourcourseofproceedinginunravellingthatcomplexchainofphenomenawithaviewtogetatitscause,isalwaysthesame;inallcaseswemustinventanhypothesis;wemustplacebeforeourselvessomemoreorlesslikelysuppositionrespectingthatcause;andthen,havingassumedanhypothesis,havingsupposedcauseforthephenomenainquestion,wemustendeavour,ontheonehand,todemonstrateourhypothesis,or,ontheother,toupsetandrejectitaltogether,bytestingitinthreeways.
Wemust,inthefirstplace,bepreparedtoprovethatthesupposedcausesofthephenomenaexistinnature;thattheyarewhatthelogicianscall'veracausae'--truecauses;--inthenextplace,weshouldbepreparedtoshowthattheassumedcausesofthephenomenaarecompetenttoproducesuchphenomenaasthosewhichwewishtoexplainbythem;andinthelastplace,weoughttobeabletoshowthatnootherknowncausesarecompetenttoproducethosephenomena.Ifwecansucceedinsatisfyingthesethreeconditionsweshallhavedemonstratedourhypothesis;orratherIoughttosayweshallhaveproveditasfarascertaintyispossibleforus;for,afterall,thereisnooneofoursurestconvictionswhichmaynotbeupset,oratanyratemodifiedbyafurtheraccessionofknowledge.Itwasbecauseitsatisfiedtheseconditionsthatweacceptedthehypothesisastothedisappearanceofthetea-potandspoonsinthecaseIsupposedinapreviouslecture;wefoundthatourhypothesisonthatsubjectwastenableandvalid,becausethesupposedcauseexistedinnature,becauseitwascompetenttoaccountforthephenomena,andbecausenootherknowncausewascompetenttoaccountforthem;anditisuponsimilargroundsthatanyhypothesisyouchoosetonameisacceptedinscienceastenableandvalid.
WhatisMr.Darwin'shypothesis?
AsIapprehendit--forIhaveputitintoashapemoreconvenientforcommonpurposesthanIcouldfind'verbatim'inhisbook--asIapprehendit,Isay,itis,thatallthephenomenaoforganicnature,pastandpresent,resultfrom,orarecausedby,theinter-actionofthosepropertiesoforganicmatter,whichwehavecalledATAVISMandVARIABILITY,withtheCONDITIONSOF
EXISTENCE;or,inotherwords,--giventheexistenceoforganicmatter,itstendencytotransmititsproperties,anditstendencyoccasionallytovary;and,lastly,giventheconditionsofexistencebywhichorganicmatterissurrounded--thattheseputtogetherarethecausesofthePresentandofthePastconditionsofORGANICNATURE.
SuchisthehypothesisasIunderstandit.NowletusseehowitwillstandthevarioustestswhichIlaiddownjustnow.Inthefirstplace,dothesesupposedcausesofthephenomenaexistinnature?
Isitthefactthatinnaturethesepropertiesoforganicmatter--atavismandvariability--andthosephenomenawhichwehavecalledtheconditionsofexistence,--isittruethattheyexist?
Well,ofcourse,iftheydonotexist,allthatIhavetoldyouinthelastthreeorfourlecturesmustbeincorrect,becauseIhavebeenattemptingtoprovethattheydoexist,andItakeitthatthereisabundantevidencethattheydoexist;sofar,therefore,thehypothesisdoesnotbreakdown.
Butinthenextplacecomesamuchmoredifficultinquiry:
--Arethecausesindicatedcompetenttogiverisetothephenomenaoforganicnature?
Isuspectthatthisisindubitabletoacertainextent.Itisdemonstrable,Ithink,asIhaveendeavouredtoshowyou,thattheyareperfectlycompetenttogiverisetoallthephenomenawhichareexhibitedbyRACESinnature.Furthermore,IbelievethattheyarequitecompetenttoaccountforallthatwemaycallpurelystructuralphenomenawhichareexhibitedbySPECIESinnature.OnthatpointalsoIhavealreadyenlargedsomewhat.Again,Ithinkthatthecausesassumedarecompetenttoaccountformostofthephysiologicalcharacteristicsofspecies,andInotonlythinkthattheyarecompetenttoaccountforthem,butIthinkthattheyaccountformanythingswhichotherwiseremainwhollyunaccountableandinexplicable,andImaysayincomprehensible.Forafullexpositionofthegroundsonwhichthisconvictionisbased,ImustreferyoutoMr.Darwin'swork;allthatIcandonowistoillustratewhatIhavesaidbytwoorthreecasestakenalmostatrandom.
Idrewyourattention,onapreviousevening,tothefactswhichareembodiedinoursystemsofClass
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