FREE BOOKS

Author's List




PREV.   NEXT  
|<   91   92   93   94   95   96   97   98   99   100   101   102   103   104   105   106   107   108   109   110   111   112   113   114   115  
116   117   118   119   120   121   122   123   124   125   126   127   128   129   130   131   132   133   134   135   136   137   138   139   140   >>   >|  
ory of epigenesis, which Weismann wished to do away with as a mystery, is repeated a thousand times and made more difficult. In order to explain puzzling processes on a large scale, others have been constructed, which on close investigation prove to be just the same mysterious and unexplained processes, only made infinitely smaller. Moreover, even if the whole of "Weismannism," including germinal selection, could be accepted, and if it were as sufficient as it is insufficient, what we advanced at the end of Chapter III. as a standpoint of general validity in relation to teleology and theology would still hold good. Even an entirely naive, anthropomorphic, "supernatural" theology is ready to see, in the natural course of things, in the "_causae secundariae,_" the realisation of Divine purpose, teleology, and does not fail to recognise that the Divine purpose may fulfil itself not only in an extraordinary manner, through "miracles" and "unconditioned" events, but also in ordinary ways, "through means" and the universal causal nexus. Thus it is quite consistent even with a theology of this kind to regard the whole system of causes and effects, which, according to the Darwin-Weismann doctrine, have gradually brought forth the whole diversity of the world of life, with man at its head, in a purely causal way without teleological intervention, as an immense system of means marvellous in its intricacy, in the inevitable necessity of its inter-relations, and in the exactness of its work, the ultimate result of which _must_ have come about, but perhaps at the same time was _intended_ to come about. Whether I regard this ultimate result as the mere consequence of blind happenings, or as an intended purpose, does not depend, as we have seen, upon the knowledge gained by natural science, but depends above all on whether this ultimate result seems to me of sufficient _value_ to be thought of as the purpose of a world-governing intelligence, and thus depends upon my personal attitude to human nature, reason, mind, and the spiritual, religious, and moral life. If I venture to attribute worth, and absolute worth, to these things, nothing, not even the fact of the "struggle for existence" in its thousand forms, in its gradually transforming effects, in the almost endless nexus of its causes and results, germinal selection included, can take away my right (and eventually my duty) to regard the ultimate result _as an end_, and the nexus o
PREV.   NEXT  
|<   91   92   93   94   95   96   97   98   99   100   101   102   103   104   105   106   107   108   109   110   111   112   113   114   115  
116   117   118   119   120   121   122   123   124   125   126   127   128   129   130   131   132   133   134   135   136   137   138   139   140   >>   >|  



Top keywords:
purpose
 

result

 

ultimate

 
theology
 

regard

 

Divine

 

causal

 

things

 

natural

 

teleology


thousand

 
intended
 

depends

 
gradually
 
effects
 

Weismann

 

sufficient

 

system

 

germinal

 

processes


selection

 

consequence

 

happenings

 

science

 

Whether

 
knowledge
 

gained

 

depend

 

necessity

 

relations


inevitable

 

intricacy

 
intervention
 

immense

 

marvellous

 

exactness

 

investigation

 

epigenesis

 

constructed

 

existence


transforming
 
struggle
 

endless

 

eventually

 

results

 
included
 

absolute

 
personal
 
attitude
 

intelligence