darwin and modern science-第152节

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ene；　rather　than　the　ever　dependent　outcome；　of　His　Wisdom；　working　in　such　emergencies　and　opportunities　as　occurred；　by　forces　not　altogether　within　His　control；　towards　an　end　beyond　Himself。　　It　gave　us；　instead　of　the　awful　reverence　due　to　the　Cause　of　all　substance　and　form；　all　love　and　wisdom；　a　dangerously　detached　appreciation　of　an　ingenuity　and　benevolence　meritorious　in　aim　and　often　surprisingly　successful　in　contrivance。

The　old　teleology　was　more　useful　to　science　than　to　religion；　and　the　design…naturalists　ought　to　be　gratefully　remembered　by　Biologists。　　Their　search　for　evidences　led　them　to　an　eager　study　of　adaptations　and　of　minute　forms；　a　study　such　as　we　have　now　an　incentive　to　in　the　theory　of　Natural　Selection。　　One　hardly　meets　with　the　same　ardour　in　microscopical　research　until　we　come　to　modern　workers。　　But　the　argument　from　Design　was　never　of　great　importance　to　faith。　　Still；　to　rid　it　of　this　character　was　worth　all　the　stress　and　anxiety　of　the　gallant　old　war。　　If　Darwin　had　done　nothing　else　for　us；　we　are　to…day　deeply　in　his　debt　for　this。　　The　world　is　not　less　venerable　to　us　now；　not　less　eloquent　of　the　causing　mind；　rather　much　more　eloquent　and　sacred。　　But　our　wonder　is　not　that　〃the　underjaw　of　the　swine　works　under　the　ground〃　or　in　any　or　all　of　those　particular　adaptations　which　Paley　collected　with　so　much　skill；　but　that　a　purpose　transcending；　though　resembling；　our　own　purposes；　is　everywhere　manifest；　that　what　we　live　in　is　a　whole；　mutually　sustaining；　eventful　and　beautiful；　where　the　〃dead〃　forces　feed　the　energies　of　life；　and　life　sustains　a　stranger　existence；　able　in　some　real　measure　to　contemplate　the　whole；　of　which；　mechanically　considered；　it　is　a　minor　product　and　a　rare　ingredient。　　Here；　again；　the　change　was　altogether　positive。　　It　was　not　the　escape　of　a　vessel　in　a　storm　with　loss　of　spars　and　rigging；　not　a　shortening　of　sail　to　save　the　masts　and　make　a　port　of　refuge。　　It　was　rather　the　emergence　from　narrow　channels　to　an　open　sea。　　We　had　propelled　the　great　ship；　finding　purchase　here　and　there　for　slow　and　uncertain　movement。　　Now；　in　deep　water；　we　spread　large　canvas　to　a　favouring　breeze。

The　scattered　traces　of　design　might　be　forgotten　or　obliterated。　　But　the　broad　impression　of　Order　became　plainer　when　seen　at　due　distance　and　in　sufficient　range　of　effect；　and　the　evidence　of　love　and　wisdom　in　the　universe　could　be　trusted　more　securely　for　the　loss　of　the　particular　calculation　of　their　machinery。

Many　other　topics　of　faith　are　affected　by　modern　biology。　　In　some　of　these　we　have　learnt　at　present　only　a　wise　caution；　a　wise　uncertainty。　　We　stand　before　the　newly　unfolded　spectacle　of　suffering；　silenced；　with　faith　not　scientifically　reassured　but　still　holding　fast　certain　other　clues　of　conviction。　　In　many　important　topics　we　are　at　a　loss。　　But　in　others；　and　among　them　those　I　have　mentioned；　we　have　passed　beyond　this　negative　state　and　find　faith　positively　strengthened　and　more　fully　expressed。

We　have　gained　also　a　language　and　a　habit　of　thought　more　fit　for　the　great　and　dark　problems　that　remain；　less　liable　to　damaging　conflicts；　equipped　for　more　rapid　assimilation　of　knowledge。　　And　by　this　change　biology　itself　is　a　gainer。　　For；　relieved　of　fruitless　encounters　with　popular　religion；　it　may　advance　with　surer　aim　along　the　path　of　really　scientific　life…study　which　was　reopened　for　modern　men　by　the　publication　of　〃The　Origin　of　Species〃。

Charles　Darwin　regretted　that；　in　following　science；　he　had　not　done　〃more　direct　good〃　（〃Life　and　Letters〃；　Vol。　III。　page　359。）　to　his　fellow…　creatures。　　He　has；　in　fact；　rendered　substantial　service　to　interests　bound　up　with　the　daily　conduct　and　hopes　of　common　men；　for　his　work　has　led　to　improvements　in　the　preaching　of　the　Christian　faith。


XXV。　　THE　INFLUENCE　OF　DARWINISM　ON　THE　STUDY　OF　RELIGIONS。

By　JANE　ELLEN　HARRISON。　Hon。　D。Litt。　（Durham）；　Hon。　LL。D。　（Aberdeen）；　Staff　Lecturer　and　sometime　Fellow　of　Newnham　College；　Cambridge。　　Corresponding　member　of　the　German　Archaeological　Institute。

The　title　of　my　paper　might　well　have　been　〃the　creation　by　Darwinism　of　the　scientific　study　of　Religions；〃　but　that　I　feared　to　mar　my　tribute　to　a　great　name　by　any　shadow　of　exaggeration。　　Before　the　publication　of　〃The　Origin　of　Species〃　and　〃The　Descent　of　Man〃；　even　in　the　eighteenth　century；　isolated　thinkers；　notably　Hume　and　Herder；　had　conjectured　that　the　orthodox　beliefs　of　their　own　day　were　developments　from　the　cruder　superstitions　of　the　past。　　These　were　however　only　particular　speculations　of　individual　sceptics。　　Religion　was　not　yet　generally　regarded　as　a　proper　subject　for　scientific　study；　with　facts　to　be　collected　and　theories　to　be　deduced。　　A　Congress　of　Religions　such　as　that　recently　held　at　Oxford　would　have　savoured　of　impiety。

In　the　brief　space　allotted　me　I　can　attempt　only　two　things；　first；　and　very　briefly；　I　shall　try　to　indicate　the　normal　attitude　towards　religion　in　the　early　part　of　the　last　century；　second；　and　in　more　detail；　I　shall　try　to　make　clear　what　is　the　outlook　of　advanced　thinkers　to…day。　　（To　be　accurate　I　ought　to　add　〃in　Europe。〃　　I　advisedly　omit　from　consideration　the　whole　immense　field　of　Oriental　mysticism；　because　it　has　remained　practically　untouched　by　the　influence　of　Darwinism。）　　From　this　second　inquiry　it　will；　I　hope；　be　abundantly　manifest　that　it　is　the　doctrine　of　evolution　that　has　made　this　outlook　possible　and　even　necessary。

The　ultimate　and　unchallenged　presupposition　of　the　old　view　was　that　religion　was　a　DOCTRINE；　a　body　of　supposed　truths。　　It　was　in　fact　what　we　should　now　call　Theology；　and　what　the　ancients　called　Mythology。　　Ritual　was　scarcely　considered　at　all；　and；　when　considered；　it　was　held　to　be　a　form　in　which　beliefs；　already　defined　and　fixed　as　dogma；　found　a　natural　mode　of　expression。　　This；　it　will　be　later　shown；　is　a　profound　error　or　rather　a　most　misleading　half…truth。　　Creeds；　doctrines；　theology　and　the　like　are　only　a　part；　and　at　first　the　least　important　part；　of　religion。

Further；　and　the　fact　is　important；　this　DOGMA；　thus　supposed　to　be　the　essential　content　of　the　〃true〃　religion；　was　a　teleological　scheme　complete　and　unalterable；　which　had　been　revealed　to　man　once　and　for　all　by　a　highly　anthropomorphic　God；　whose　existence　was　assumed。　　The　duty　of　man　towards　this　revelation　was　to　accept　its　doctrines　and　obey　its　precepts。　　The　notion　that　this　revelation　had　grown　bit　by　bit　out　of　man's　consciousness　and　that　his　business　was　to　better　it　would　have　seemed　rank　blasphemy。　　Religion；　so　conceived；　left　no　place　for　development。　　〃The　Truth〃　might　be　learnt；　but　never　critically　examined；　being　thus　avowedly　complete　and　final；　it　was　doomed　to　stagnation。

The　details　of　this　supposed　revelation　seem　almost　too　naive　for　enumeration。　　As　Hume　observed；　〃popular　theology　has　a　positive　appetite　for　absurdity。〃　　It　is　sufficient　to　recall　that　〃revelation〃　included　such　items　as　the　Creation　（It　is　interesting　to　note　that　the　very　word　〃Creator〃　has　nowadays　almost　passed　into　the　region　of　mythology。　　Instead　we　have　〃L'Evolution　Creatrice〃。）　of　the　world　out　of　nothing　in　six　days；　the　making　of　Eve　from　one　of　Adam's　ribs；　the　Temptation　by　a　talking　snake；　the　confusion　of　tongues　at　the　tower　of　Babel；　the　doctrine　of　Original　Sin；　a　scheme　of　salvation　which　demanded　the　Virgin　Birth；　Vicarious　Atonement；　and　the　Resurrection　of　the　material　body。　　The　scheme　was　unfolded　in　an　infallible　Book；　or；　for　one　section　of　Christians；　guarded　by　the　tradition　of　an　infallible　Church；　and　on　the　acceptance　or　refusal　of　this　scheme　depended　an　eternity　of　weal　or　woe。　　There　is　not　one　of　these　doctrines　that　has　not　now　been　recast；　softened　down；　mysticised；　allegorised　into　something　more　conformable　with　modern　thinking。　　It　is　hard　for　the　present　generation；　unless　their　breeding　has　been　singularly　archaic；　to　realise　that　these　amazing　doctrines　were　literally　held　and　believed　to　constitute　the　very　essence　of　religion；　to　doubt　them　was　a　moral　delinquency。

It　had　not；　however；　escaped　the　notice　of　travellers　and　missionaries　that　savages　carried　on　some　sort　of　practices　that　seemed　to　be　religious；　and　believed　in　some　sort　of　spirits　or　demons。　　Hence；　beyond　the　confines　illuminated　by　revealed　truth；　a　vague　region　was　assigned　to　NATURAL　Religion。　　The　original　revelation　had　been　kept　intact　only　by　one　chosen　people；　the　Jews；　by　them　to　be　handed　on　to　Christianity。　　Outside　the　borders　of　this　Goshen　the　world　had　sunk　into　the　darkness　of　Egypt。　　Where　analogies　between　savage　cults　and　the　Christian　religions　were　observed；　they　were　explained　as　degradations；　the　heathen　had　somehow　wilfully　〃lost　the　light。〃　　Our　business　was　not　to　study　but；　exclusively；　to　convert　them；　to　root　out　superstition　and　carry　the　torch　of　revelation　to　〃Souls　in　heathen　darkness　lying。〃　　To　us　nowadays　it　is　a　commonplace　of　anthropological　research　that　we　must　seek　for　the　beginnings　of　religion　in　the　religions　of　primitive　peoples；　but　in　the　last　century　the　orthodox　mind　was　convinced　that　it　possessed　a　complete　and　lumi