Criticisms on The Origin of Species文档格式.docx
- 文档编号:21397556
- 上传时间:2023-01-30
- 格式:DOCX
- 页数:21
- 大小:30.63KB
Criticisms on The Origin of Species文档格式.docx
《Criticisms on The Origin of Species文档格式.docx》由会员分享,可在线阅读,更多相关《Criticisms on The Origin of Species文档格式.docx(21页珍藏版)》请在冰豆网上搜索。
publishedamostinstructiveandphilosophicalpamphlet(anexcellent
noticeofwhichistobefoundinthe'
Reader'
forFebruary27thof
thisyear)supportingsimilarviewswithalltheweightofhisspecial
knowledgeandestablishedauthorityasalinguist.ProfessorHaeckel,
towhomSchleicheraddresseshimself,previouslytookoccasion,inhis
splendidmonographonthe'
Radiolaria'
*,toexpresshishigh
appreciationof,andgeneralconcordancewith,Mr.Darwin'
sviews.
[footnote]*'
DieRadiolarien:
eineMonographie'
p.231.
Butthemostelaboratecriticismsofthe'
OriginofSpecies'
whichhave
appearedaretwoworksofverywidelydifferentmerit,theoneby
ProfessorKolliker,thewell-knownanatomistandhistologistof
Wurzburg;
theotherbyM.Flourens,PerpetualSecretaryoftheFrench
AcademyofSciences.
ProfessorKolliker'
scriticalessay'
UpontheDarwinianTheory'
is,like
allthatproceedsfromthepenofthatthoughtfulandaccomplished
writer,worthyofthemostcarefulconsideration.Itcomprisesabrief
butclearsketchofDarwin'
sviews,followedbyanenumerationofthe
leadingdifficultiesinthewayoftheiracceptance;
difficultieswhich
wouldappeartobeinsurmountabletoProfessorKolliker,inasmuchashe
proposestoreplaceMr.Darwin'
sTheorybyonewhichhetermsthe
'
TheoryofHeterogeneousGeneration.'
Weshallproceedtoconsider
firstthedestructive,andsecondly,theconstructiveportionofthe
essay.
Weregrettofindourselvescompelledtodissentverywidelyfrommany
ofProfessorKolliker'
sremarks;
andfromnonemorethoroughlythan
fromthoseinwhichheseekstodefinewhatwemaytermthe
philosophicalpositionofDarwinism.
"
Darwin,"
saysProfessorKolliker,"
is,inthefullestsenseofthe
word,aTeleologist.Hesaysquitedistinctly(FirstEdition,pp.199,
200)thateveryparticularinthestructureofananimalhasbeen
createdforitsbenefit,andheregardsthewholeseriesofanimal
formsonlyfromthispointofview."
Andagain:
7.TheteleologicalgeneralconceptionadoptedbyDarwinisamistaken
one.
Varietiesariseirrespectivelyofthenotionofpurpose,orof
utility,accordingtogenerallawsofNature,andmaybeeitheruseful,
orhurtful,orindifferent.
Theassumptionthatanorganismexistsonlyonaccountofsomedefinite
endinview,andrepresentssomethingmorethantheincorporationofa
generalidea,orlaw,impliesaone-sidedconceptionoftheuniverse.
Assuredly,everyorganhas,andeveryorganismfulfils,itsend,but
itspurposeisnottheconditionofitsexistence.Everyorganismis
alsosufficientlyperfectforthepurposeitserves,andinthat,at
least,itisuselesstoseekforacauseofitsimprovement."
Itissingularhowdifferentlyoneandthesamebookwillimpress
differentminds.Thatwhichstruckthepresentwritermostforciblyon
hisfirstperusalofthe'
wastheconvictionthat
Teleology,ascommonlyunderstood,hadreceiveditsdeathblowatMr.
shands.Fortheteleologicalargumentrunsthus:
anorganor
organism(A)ispreciselyfittedtoperformafunctionorpurpose(B);
thereforeitwasspeciallyconstructedtoperformthatfunction.In
Paley'
sfamousillustration,theadaptationofallthepartsofthe
watchtothefunction,orpurpose,ofshowingthetime,isheldtobe
evidencethatthewatchwasspeciallycontrivedtothatend;
onthe
ground,thattheonlycauseweknowof,competenttoproducesuchan
effectasawatchwhichshallkeeptime,isacontrivingintelligence
adaptingthemeansdirectlytothatend.
Suppose,however,thatanyonehadbeenabletoshowthatthewatchhad
notbeenmadedirectlybyanyperson,butthatitwastheresultof
themodificationofanotherwatchwhichkepttimebutpoorly;
andthat
thisagainhadproceededfromastructurewhichcouldhardlybecalled
awatchatall--seeingthatithadnofiguresonthedialandthehands
wererudimentary;
andthatgoingbackandbackintimewecameatlast
toarevolvingbarrelastheearliesttraceablerudimentofthewhole
fabric.Andimaginethatithadbeenpossibletoshowthatallthese
changeshadresulted,first,fromatendencyofthestructuretovary
indefinitely;
andsecondly,fromsomethinginthesurroundingworld
whichhelpedallvariationsinthedirectionofanaccurate
time-keeper,andcheckedallthoseinotherdirections;
thenitis
obviousthattheforceofPaley'
sargumentwouldbegone.Foritwould
bedemonstratedthatanapparatusthoroughlywelladaptedtoa
particularpurposemightbetheresultofamethodoftrialanderror
workedbyunintelligentagents,aswellasofthedirectapplicationof
themeansappropriatetothatend,byanintelligentagent.
Nowitappearstousthatwhatwehavehere,forillustration'
ssake,
supposedtobedonewiththewatch,isexactlywhattheestablishment
ofDarwin'
sTheorywilldofortheorganicworld.Forthenotionthat
everyorganismhasbeencreatedasitisandlaunchedstraightata
purpose,Mr.Darwinsubstitutestheconceptionofsomethingwhichmay
fairlybetermedamethodoftrialanderror.Organismsvary
incessantly;
ofthesevariationsthefewmeetwithsurrounding
conditionswhichsuitthemandthrive;
themanyareunsuitedandbecome
extinguished.
AccordingtoTeleology,eachorganismislikeariflebulletfired
straightatamark;
accordingtoDarwin,organismsarelikegrapeshot
ofwhichonehitssomethingandtherestfallwide.
Fortheteleologistanorganismexistsbecauseitwasmadeforthe
conditionsinwhichitisfound;
fortheDarwiniananorganismexists
because,outofmanyofitskind,itistheonlyonewhichhasbeen
abletopersistintheconditionsinwhichitisfound.
Teleologyimpliesthattheorgansofeveryorganismareperfectand
cannotbeimproved;
theDarwiniantheorysimplyaffirmsthattheywork
wellenoughtoenabletheorganismtoholditsownagainstsuch
competitorsasithasmetwith,butadmitsthepossibilityof
indefiniteimprovement.Butanexamplemaybringintoclearerlight
theprofoundoppositionbetweentheordinaryteleological,andthe
Darwinian,conception.
Catscatchmice,smallbirdsandthelike,verywell.Teleologytells
usthattheydosobecausetheywereexpresslyconstructedforso
doing--thattheyareperfectmousingapparatuses,soperfectandso
delicatelyadjustedthatnooneoftheirorganscouldbealtered,
withoutthechangeinvolvingthealterationofalltherest.Darwinism
affirmsonthecontrary,thattherewasnoexpressconstruction
concernedinthematter;
butthatamongthemultitudinousvariationsof
theFelinestock,manyofwhichdiedoutfromwantofpowertoresist
opposinginfluences,some,thecats,werebetterfittedtocatchmice
thanothers,whencetheythroveandpersisted,inproportiontothe
advantageovertheirfellowsthusofferedtothem.
Farfromimaginingthatcatsexist'
inorder'
tocatchmicewell,
Darwinismsupposesthatcatsexist'
because'
theycatchmice
well--mousingbeingnottheend,butthecondition,oftheir
existence.Andifthecattypehaslongpersistedasweknowit,the
interpretationofthefactuponDarwinianprincipleswouldbe,notthat
thecatshaveremainedinvariable,butthatsuchvarietiesashave
incessantlyoccurredhavebeen,onthewhole,lessfittedtogetonin
theworldthantheexistingstock.
Ifweapprehendthespiritofthe'
rightly,then,
nothingcanbemoreentirelyandabsolutelyopposedtoTeleology,asit
iscommonlyunderstood,thantheDarwinianTheory.Sofarfrombeinga
Teleologistinthefullestsenseoftheword,"
wewoulddenythathe
isaTeleologistintheordinarysenseatall;
andweshouldsaythat,
apartfromhismeritsasanaturalist,hehasrenderedamost
remarkableservicetophilosophicalthoughtbyenablingthestudentof
Naturetorecognise,totheirfullestextent,thoseadaptationsto
purposewhicharesostrikingintheorganicworld,andwhichTeleology
hasdonegoodserviceinkeepingbeforeourminds,withoutbeingfalse
tothefundamentalprinciplesofascientificconceptionofthe
universe.TheapparentlydivergingteachingsoftheTeleologistandof
theMorphologistarereconciledbytheDarwinianhypothesis.
Butleavingourownimpressionsofthe'
OriginofSpecies,'
andturning
tothosepassagesespeciallycitedbyProfessorKolliker,wecannot
admitthattheybeartheinterpretationheputsuponthem.Darwin,if
wereadhimrightly,does'
not'
affirmthateverydetailinthe
structureofananimalhasbeencreatedforitsbenefit.Hiswordsare
(p.199):
--
Theforegoingremarksleadmetosayafewwordsontheprotestlately
madebysomenaturalistsagainsttheutilitariandoctrinethatevery
detailofstructurehasbeenproducedforthegoodofitspossessor.
Theybelievethatverymanystructureshavebeencreatedforbeautyin
theeyesofman,orformerevariety.Thisdoctrine,iftrue,wouldbe
absolutelyfataltomytheory--yetIfullyadmitthatmanystructures
areofnodirectusetothei
- 配套讲稿:
如PPT文件的首页显示word图标,表示该PPT已包含配套word讲稿。双击word图标可打开word文档。
- 特殊限制:
部分文档作品中含有的国旗、国徽等图片,仅作为作品整体效果示例展示,禁止商用。设计者仅对作品中独创性部分享有著作权。
- 关 键 词:
- Criticisms on The Origin of Species