darwin and modern science-第37节

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　1863；　soon　after　the　publication　of　Darwin's　〃Origin　of　Species〃；　Huxley　stated　his　own　views　in　regard　to　this　great　problem。　　He　tells　us　how　the　idea　of　a　natural　descent　of　man　gradually　grew　up　in　his　mind；　it　was　especially　the　assertions　of　Owen　in　regard　to　the　total　difference　between　the　human　and　the　simian　brain　that　called　forth　strong　dissent　from　the　great　anatomist　Huxley；　and　he　easily　succeeded　in　showing　that　Owen's　supposed　differences　had　no　real　existence；　he　even　established；　on　the　basis　of　his　own　anatomical　investigations；　the　proposition　that　the　anatomical　differences　between　the　Marmoset　and　the　Chimpanzee　are　much　greater　than　those　between　the　Chimpanzee　and　Man。

But　why　do　we　thus　introduce　the　study　of　Darwin's　〃Descent　of　Man〃；　which　is　to　occupy　us　here；　by　insisting　on　the　fact　that　Huxley　had　taken　the　field　in　defence　of　the　descent　of　man　in　1863；　while　Darwin's　book　on　the　subject　did　not　appear　till　1871？　　It　is　in　order　that　we　may　clearly　understand　how　it　happened　that　from　this　time　onwards　Darwin　and　Huxley　followed　the　same　great　aim　in　the　most　intimate　association。

Huxley　and　Darwin　working　at　the　same　Problema　maximum！　　Huxley　fiery；　impetuous；　eager　for　battle；　contemptuous　of　the　resistance　of　a　dull　world；　or　energetically　triumphing　over　it。　　Darwin　calm；　weighing　every　problem　slowly；　letting　it　mature　thoroughly；not　a　fighter；　yet　having　the　greater　and　more　lasting　influence　by　virtue　of　his　immense　mass　of　critically　sifted　proofs。　　Darwin's　friend；　Huxley；　was　the　first　to　do　him　justice；　to　understand　his　nature；　and　to　find　in　it　the　reason　why　the　detailed　and　carefully　considered　book　on　the　descent　of　man　made　its　appearance　so　late。　　Huxley；　always　generous；　never　thought　of　claiming　priority　for　himself。　　In　enthusiastic　language　he　tells　how　Darwin's　immortal　work；　〃The　Origin　of　Species〃；　first　shed　light　for　him　on　the　problem　of　the　descent　of　man；　the　recognition　of　a　vera　causa　in　the　transformation　of　species　illuminated　his　thoughts　as　with　a　flash。　　He　was　now　content　to　leave　what　perplexed　him；　what　he　could　not　yet　solve；　as　he　says　himself；　〃in　the　mighty　hands　of　Darwin。〃　　Happy　in　the　bustle　of　strife　against　old　and　deep…rooted　prejudices；　against　intolerance　and　superstition；　he　wielded　his　sharp　weapons　on　Darwin's　behalf；　wearing　Darwin's　armour　he　joyously　overthrew　adversary　after　adversary。　　Darwin　spoke　of　Huxley　as　his　〃general　agent。〃　　（〃Life　and　Letters　of　Thomas　Henry　Huxley〃；　Vol。　I。　page　171；　London；　1900。）　　Huxley　says　of　himself　〃I　am　Darwin's　bulldog。〃　　（Ibid。　page　363。）

Thus　Huxley　openly　acknowledged　that　it　was　Darwin's　〃Origin　of　Species〃　that　first　set　the　problem　of　the　descent　of　man　in　its　true　light；　that　made　the　question　of　the　origin　of　the　human　race　a　pressing　one。　　That　this　was　the　logical　consequence　of　his　book　Darwin　himself　had　long　felt。　He　had　been　reproached　with　intentionally　shirking　the　application　of　his　theory　to　Man。　　Let　us　hear　what　he　says　on　this　point　in　his　autobiography：　　〃As　soon　as　I　had　become；　in　the　year　1837　or　1838；　convinced　that　species　were　mutable　productions；　I　could　not　avoid　the　belief　that　man　must　come　under　the　same　law。　　Accordingly　I　collected　notes　on　the　subject　for　my　own　satisfaction；　and　not　for　a　long　time　with　any　intention　of　publishing。　　Although　in　the　'Origin　of　Species'　the　derivation　of　any　particular　species　is　never　discussed；　yet　I　thought　it　best；　in　order　THAT　NO　HONOURABLE　MAN　SHOULD　ACCUSE　ME　OF　CONCEALING　MY　VIEWS　（No　italics　in　original。）；　to　add　that　by　the　work　'light　would　be　thrown　on　the　origin　of　man　and　his　history。'　　It　would　have　been　useless　and　injurious　to　the　success　of　the　book　to　have　paraded；　without　giving　any　evidence；　my　conviction　with　respect　to　his　origin。〃　　（〃Life　and　Letters　of　Charles　Darwin〃；　Vol。　1。　page　93。）

In　a　letter　written　in　January；　1860；　to　the　Rev。　L。　Blomefield；　Darwin　expresses　himself　in　similar　terms。　　〃With　respect　to　man；　I　am　very　far　from　wishing　to　obtrude　my　belief；　but　I　thought　it　dishonest　to　quite　conceal　my　opinion。〃　　（Ibid。　Vol。　II。　page　263。）

The　brief　allusion　in　the　〃Origin　of　Species〃　is　so　far　from　prominent　and　so　incidental　that　it　was　excusable　to　assume　that　Darwin　had　not　touched　upon　the　descent　of　man　in　this　work。　　It　was　solely　the　desire　to　have　his　mass　of　evidence　sufficiently　complete；　solely　Darwin's　great　characteristic　of　never　publishing　till　he　had　carefully　weighed　all　aspects　of　his　subject　for　years；　solely；　in　short；　his　most　fastidious　scientific　conscience　that　restrained　him　from　challenging　the　world　in　1859　with　a　book　in　which　the　theory　of　the　descent　of　man　was　fully　set　forth。　　Three　years；　frequently　interrupted　by　ill…health；　were　needed　for　the　actual　writing　of　the　book　（〃Life　and　Letters〃；　Vol。　I。　page　94。）：　　the　first　edition；　which　appeared　in　1871；　was　followed　in　1874　by　a　much　improved　second　edition；　the　preparation　of　which　he　very　reluctantly　undertook。　　（Ibid。　Vol。　III。　page　175。）

This；　briefly；　is　the　history　of　the　work；　which；　with　the　〃Origin　of　Species〃；　marks　an　epoch　in　the　history　of　biological　sciencesthe　work　with　which　the　cautious；　peace…loving　investigator　ventured　forth　from　his　contemplative　life　into　the　arena　of　strife　and　unrest；　and　laid　himself　open　to　all　the　annoyances　that　deep…rooted　belief　and　prejudice；　and　the　prevailing　tendency　of　scientific　thought　at　the　time　could　devise。

Darwin　did　not　take　this　step　lightly。　　Of　great　interest　in　this　connection　is　a　letter　written　to　Wallace　on　Dec。　22；　1857　（Ibid。　Vol。　II。　page　109。）；　in　which　he　says　〃You　ask　whether　I　shall　discuss　'man。'　　I　think　I　shall　avoid　the　whole　subject；　as　so　surrounded　with　prejudices；　though　I　fully　admit　that　it　is　the　highest　and　most　interesting　problem　for　the　naturalist。〃　　But　his　conscientiousness　compelled　him　to　state　briefly　his　opinion　on　the　subject　in　the　〃Origin　of　Species〃　in　1859。　　Nevertheless　he　did　not　escape　reproaches　for　having　been　so　reticent。　　This　is　unmistakably　apparent　from　a　letter　to　Fritz　Muller　dated　February　22　（1869？）；　in　which　he　says：　　〃I　am　thinking　of　writing　a　little　essay　on　the　Origin　of　Mankind；　as　I　have　been　taunted　with　concealing　my　opinions。〃　　（Ibid。　Vol。　III。　page　112。）

It　might　be　thought　that　Darwin　behaved　thus　hesitatingly；　and　was　so　slow　in　deciding　on　the　full　publication　of　his　collected　material　in　regard　to　the　descent　of　man；　because　he　had　religious　difficulties　to　overcome。

But　this　was　not　the　case；　as　we　can　see　from　his　admirable　confession　of　faith；　the　publication　of　which　we　owe　to　his　son　Francis。　　（Ibid。　Vol。　I。　pages　304…317。）　　Whoever　wishes　really　to　understand　the　lofty　character　of　this　great　man　should　read　these　immortal　lines　in　which　he　unfolds　to　us　in　simple　and　straightforward　words　the　development　of　his　conception　of　the　universe。　　He　describes　how；　though　he　was　still　quite　orthodox　during　his　voyage　round　the　world　on　board　the　〃Beagle〃；　he　came　gradually　to　see；　shortly　afterwards　（1836…1839）　that　the　Old　Testament　was　no　more　to　be　trusted　than　the　Sacred　Books　of　the　Hindoos；　the　miracles　by　which　Christianity　is　supported；　the　discrepancies　between　the　accounts　in　the　different　Gospels；　gradually　led　him　to　disbelieve　in　Christianity　as　a　divine　revelation。　　〃Thus；〃　he　writes　（〃Life　and　Letters〃；　Vol。　1。　page　309。）；　〃disbelief　crept　over　me　at　a　very　slow　rate；　but　was　at　last　complete。　　The　rate　was　so　slow　that　I　felt　no　distress。〃　　But　Darwin　was　too　modest　to　presume　to　go　beyond　the　limits　laid　down　by　science。　　He　wanted　nothing　more　than　to　be　able　to　go；　freely　and　unhampered　by　belief　in　authority　or　in　the　Bible；　as　far　as　human　knowledge　could　lead　him。　　We　learn　this　from　the　concluding　words　of　his　chapter　on　religion：　　〃The　mystery　of　the　beginning　of　all　things　is　insoluble　by　us；　and　I　for　one　must　be　content　to　remain　an　Agnostic。〃　　（Loc。　cit。　page　313。）

Darwin　was　always　very　unwilling　to　give　publicity　to　his　views　in　regard　to　religion。　　In　a　letter　to　Asa　Gray　on　May　22；　1860　（Ibid。　Vol。　II。　page　310。）；　he　declares　that　it　is　always　painful　to　him　to　have　to　enter　into　discussion　of　religious　problems。　　He　had；　he　said；　no　intention　of　writing　atheistically。

Finally；　let　us　cite　one　characteristic　sentence　from　a　letter　from　Darwin　to　C。　Ridley　（Ibid。　Vol。　III。　page。　236。　　（〃C。　Ridley；〃　Mr　Francis　Darwin　points　out　to　me；　should　be　H。N。　Ridley。　　A。C。S。））　（Nov。　28；　1878。）　　A　clergyman；　Dr　Pusey；　had　asserted　that　Darwin　had　written　the　〃Origin　of　Species〃　with　some　relation　to　theology。　　Darwin　writes　emphatically；　〃Many　years　ago；　when　I　was　collecting　facts　for　the　'Origin'；　my　belief　in　what　is　called　a　personal　God　was　as　firm　as　that　of　Dr　Pusey　himself；　and　as　to　the　eternity　of　matter　I　never　troubled　myself　about　such　insoluble　questions。〃　　The　expression　〃many　years　ago〃　refers　to　the　time　of　his　voyage　round　the　world；　as　has　already　been　pointed　out。　　Darwin　means　by　this　utterance　that　the　views　which　had　gradually　developed　in　his　mind　in　regard　to　the　origin　of　species　were　quite　compatible　with　the　faith　of　the　Church。

If　we　consider　all　these　utterances　of　Darwin　in　regard　to　religion　and　to　his　outlook　on　l