darwin and modern science-第121章

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Even　the　existing　understanding　about　origins　is　very　far　from　universal。　　On　these　points　there　were　always　thoughtful　men　who　denied　the　necessity　of　conflict；　and　there　are　still　thoughtful　men　who　deny　the　possibility　of　a　truce。

It　must　further　be　remembered　that　the　earlier　discussion　now；　as　I　hope　to　show；　producing　favourable　results；　created　also　for　a　time　grave　damage；　not　only　in　the　disturbance　of　faith　and　the　loss　of　mena　loss　not　repaired　by　a　change　in　the　currents　of　debatebut　in　what　I　believe　to　be　a　still　more　serious　respect。　　I　mean　the　introduction　of　a　habit　of　facile　and　untested　hypothesis　in　religious　as　in　other　departments　of　thought。

Darwin　is　not　responsible　for　this；　but　he　is　in　part　the　cause　of　it。　　Great　ideas　are　dangerous　guests　in　narrow　minds；　and　thus　it　has　happened　that　Darwinthe　most　patient　of　scientific　workers；　in　whom　hypothesis　waited　upon　research；　or　if　it　provisionally　outstepped　it　did　so　only　with　the　most　scrupulously　careful　acknowledgmenthas　led　smaller　and　less　conscientious　men　in　natural　science；　in　history；　and　in　theology　to　an　over…eager　confidence　in　probable　conjecture　and　a　loose　grip　upon　the　facts　of　experience。　　It　is　not　too　much　to　say　that　in　many　quarters　the　age　of　materialism　was　the　least　matter…of…fact　age　conceivable；　and　the　age　of　science　the　age　which　showed　least　of　the　patient　temper　of　inquiry。

I　have　indicated；　as　shortly　as　I　could；　some　losses　and　dangers　which　in　a　balanced　account　of　Darwin's　influence　would　be　discussed　at　length。

One　other　loss　must　be　mentioned。　　It　is　a　defect　in　our　thought　which；　in　some　quarters；　has　by　itself　almost　cancelled　all　the　advantages　secured。　　I　mean　the　exaggerated　emphasis　on　uniformity　or　continuity；　the　unwillingness　to　rest　any　part　of　faith　or　of　our　practical　expectation　upon　anything　that　from　any　point　of　view　can　be　called　exceptional。　　The　high　degree　of　success　reached　by　naturalists　in　tracing；　or　reasonably　conjecturing；　the　small　beginnings　of　great　differences；　has　led　the　inconsiderate　to　believe　that　anything　may　in　time　become　anything　else。

It　is　true　that　this　exaggeration　of　the　belief　in　uniformity　has　produced　in　turn　its　own　perilous　reaction。　　From　refusing　to　believe　whatever　can　be　called　exceptional；　some　have　come　to　believe　whatever　can　be　called　wonderful。

But；　on　the　whole；　the　discontinuous　or　highly　various　character　of　experience　received　for　many　years　too　little　deliberate　attention。　　The　conception　of　uniformity　which　is　a　necessity　of　scientific　description　has　been　taken　for　the　substance　of　history。　　We　have　accepted　a　postulate　of　scientific　method　as　if　it　were　a　conclusion　of　scientific　demonstration。　　In　the　name　of　a　generalisation　which；　however　just　on　the　lines　of　a　particular　method；　is　the　prize　of　a　difficult　exploit　of　reflexion；　we　have　discarded　the　direct　impressions　of　experience；　or；　perhaps　it　is　more　true　to　say；　we　have　used　for　the　criticism　of　alleged　experiences　a　doctrine　of　uniformity　which　is　only　valid　in　the　region　of　abstract　science。　　For　every　science　depends　for　its　advance　upon　limitation　of　attention；　upon　the　selection　out　of　the　whole　content　of　consciousness　of　that　part　or　aspect　which　is　measurable　by　the　method　of　the　science。　　Accordingly　there　is　a　science　of　life　which　rightly　displays　the　unity　underlying　all　its　manifestations。　　But　there　is　another　view　of　life；　equally　valid；　and　practically　sometimes　more　important；　which　recognises　the　immediate　and　lasting　effect　of　crisis；　difference；　and　revolution。　　Our　ardour　for　the　demonstration　of　uniformity　of　process　and　of　minute　continuous　change　needs　to　be　balanced　by　a　recognition　of　the　catastrophic　element　in　experience；　and　also　by　a　recognition　of　the　exceptional　significance　for　us　of　events　which　may　be　perfectly　regular　from　an　impersonal　point　of　view。

An　exorbitant　jealousy　of　miracle；　revelation；　and　ultimate　moral　distinctions　has　been　imported　from　evolutionary　science　into　religious　thought。　　And　it　has　been　a　damaging　influence；　because　it　has　taken　men's　attention　from　facts；　and　fixed　them　upon　theories。

II。

With　this　acknowledgment　of　important　drawbacks；　requiring　many　words　for　their　proper　description；　I　proceed　to　indicate　certain　results　of　Darwin's　doctrine　which　I　believe　to　be　in　the　long　run　wholly　beneficial　to　Christian　thought。　　These　are：

The　encouragement　in　theology　of　that　evolutionary　method　of　observation　and　study；　which　has　shaped　all　modern　research：

The　recoil　of　Christian　apologetics　towards　the　ground　of　religious　experience；　a　recoil　produced　by　the　pressure　of　scientific　criticism　upon　other　supports　of　faith：

The　restatement；　or　the　recovery　of　ancient　forms　of　statement；　of　the　doctrines　of　Creation　and　of　divine　Design　in　Nature；　consequent　upon　the　discussion　of　evolution　and　of　natural　selection　as　its　guiding　factor。

（1）　　The　first　of　these　is　quite　possibly　the　most　important　of　all。　　It　was　well　defined　in　a　notable　paper　read　by　Dr　Gore；　now　Bishop　of　Birmingham；　to　the　Church　Congress　at　Shrewsbury　in　1896。　　We　have　learnt　a　new　caution　both　in　ascribing　and　in　denying　significance　to　items　of　evidence；　in　utterance　or　in　event。　　There　has　been；　as　in　art；　a　study　of　values；　which　secures　perspective　and　solidity　in　our　representation　of　facts。　　On　the　one　hand；　a　given　utterance　or　event　cannot　be　drawn　into　evidence　as　if　all　items　were　of　equal　consequence；　like　sovereigns　in　a　bag。　　The　question　whence　and　whither　must　be　asked；　and　the　particular　thing　measured　as　part　of　a　series。　　Thus　measured　it　is　not　less　truly　important；　but　it　may　be　important　in　a　lower　degree。　　On　the　other　hand；　and　for　exactly　the　same　reason；　nothing　that　is　real　is　unimportant。　　The　〃failures〃　are　not　mere　mistakes。　　We　see　them；　in　St　Augustine's　words；　as　〃scholar's　faults　which　men　praise　in　hope　of　fruit。〃

We　cannot　safely　trace　the　origin　of　the　evolutionistic　method　to　the　influence　of　natural　science。　　The　view　is　tenable　that　theology　led　the　way。　　Probably　this　is　a　case　of　alternate　and　reciprocal　debt。　　Quite　certainly　the　evolutionist　method　in　theology；　in　Christian　history；　and　in　the　estimate　of　scripture；　has　received　vast　reinforcement　from　biology；　in　which　evolution　has　been　the　ever　present　and　ever　victorious　conception。

（2）　　The　second　effect　named　is　the　new　willingness　of　Christian　thinkers　to　take　definite　account　of　religious　experience。　　This　is　related　to　Darwin　through　the　general　pressure　upon　religious　faith　of　scientific　criticism。　　The　great　advance　of　our　knowledge　of　organisms　has　been　an　important　element　in　the　general　advance　of　science。　　It　has　acted；　by　the　varied　requirements　of　the　theory　of　organisms；　upon　all　other　branches　of　natural　inquiry；　and　it　held　for　a　long　time　that　leading　place　in　public　attention　which　is　now　occupied　by　speculative　physics。　　Consequently　it　contributed　largely　to　our　present　estimation　of　science　as　the　supreme　judge　in　all　matters　of　inquiry　（F。R。　Tennant：　　〃The　Being　of　God　in　the　light　of　Physical　Science〃；　in　〃Essays　on　some　theological　questions　of　the　day〃。　　London；　1905。）；　to　the　supposed　destruction　of　mystery　and　the　disparagement　of　metaphysic　which　marked　the　last　age；　as　well　as　to　the　just　recommendation　of　scientific　method　in　branches　of　learning　where　the　direct　acquisitions　of　natural　science　had　no　place。

Besides　this；　the　new　application　of　the　idea　of　law　and　mechanical　regularity　to　the　organic　world　seemed　to　rob　faith　of　a　kind　of　refuge。　　The　romantics　had；　as　Berthelot　（〃Evolutionisme　et　Platonisme〃；　pages　45；　46；　47。　　Paris；　1908。）　shows；　appealed　to　life　to　redress　the　judgments　drawn　from　mechanism。　　Now；　in　Spencer；　evolution　gave　us　a　vitalist　mechanic　or　mechanical　vitalism；　and　the　appeal　seemed　cut　off。　　We　may　return　to　this　point　later　when　we　consider　evolution；　at　present　I　only　endeavour　to　indicate　that　general　pressure　of　scientific　criticism　which　drove　men　of　faith　to　seek　the　grounds　of　reassurance　in　a　science　of　their　own；　in　a　method　of　experiment；　of　observation；　of　hypothesis　checked　by　known　facts。　　It　is　impossible　for　me　to　do　more　than　glance　across　the　threshold　of　this　subject。　　But　it　is　necessary　to　say　that　the　method　is　in　an　elementary　stage　of　revival。　　The　imposing　success　that　belongs　to　natural　science　is　absent：　　we　fall　short　of　the　unchallengeable　unanimity　of　the　Biologists　on　fundamentals。　　The　experimental　method　with　its　sure　repetitions　cannot　be　applied　to　our　subject…matter。　　But　we　have　something　like　the　observational　method　of　palaeontology　and　geographical　distribution；　and　in　biology　there　are　still　men　who　think　that　the　large　examination　of　varieties　by　way　of　geography　and　the　search　of　strata　is　as　truly　scientific；　uses　as　genuinely　the　logical　method　of　difference；　and　is　as　fruitful　in　sure　conclusions　as　the　quasi…chemical　analysis　of　Mendelian　laboratory　work；　of　which　last　I　desire　to　express　my　humble　admiration。　　Religion　also　has　its　observational　work　in　the　larger　and　possibly　more　arduous　manner。

But　the　scientific　work　in　religion　makes　its　way　through　difficulties　and　dangers。　　We　are　far　from　having　found　the　formula　of　its　combination　with　the　historical　elements　of　our　apologetic。　　It　is　exposed；　therefore；　to　a　damaging　fire　not　only　from　unspiritualist　psychology　and　pathology　but　also　from　the　side　of　scholastic　dogma。　　It　is　hard　to　admit　on　equal　terms　a　partner　to　the　old　undivided　rule　of　books　and　learning。　　With　Charles　Lamb；　we　cry　in　some　distress；　〃must　knowledge　come　to　me；　if　it　come　at　all；　by　some　awkward　experiment　of　intuition；　and　no　longer　by　this　familiar　process　of　reading？〃　　（〃Essays　of　Elia〃；　〃New　Year's　Eve〃；　page　41；　Ainger's　edition。　　London；　1899。）　and　we　are　answered　that　the　old　process　has　an　imperishable　value；　only　we　have　not　yet　made　clear　its　connection　with　other　contributions。　　And　all　the　work　is　young；　liable　to　be　drawn　into　unprofitable　excursions；　side…tracked　by　self…deceit　and　pretence；　and　it　fatally　attracts；　like　the　older　mysticism；　the　curiosity　and　the　expository　powers　of　those　least　in　sympathy　with　it；　ready　writers　who；　with　all　the　air　of　extended　research；　have　been　content　with　narrow　grounds　for　induction。　　There　is　a　danger；　besides；　which　accompanies　even　the　most　genuine　work　of　this　science　and　must　be　provided　against　by　all　its　serious　students。　　I　mean　the　danger　of　unbalanced　introspection　both　for　individuals　and　for　societies；　of　a　preoccupation　comparable　to　our　modern　social　preoccupation　with　bodily　health；　of　reflection　upon　mental　states　not　accompanied　by　exercise　and　growth　of　the　mental　powers；　the　danger　of　contemplating　will　and　neglecting　work；　of　analysing　conviction　and　not　criticising　evidence。

Still；　in　spite　of　dangers　and　mistakes；　the　work　remains　full　of　hopeful　indications；　and；　in　the　best　examples　（Such　an　example　is　given　in　Baron　F。　von　Hugel's　recently　finished　book；　the　result　of　thirty　years'　research：　　〃The　Mystical　Element　of　Religion；　as　studied　in　Saint　Catherine　of　Genoa　and　her　Friends〃。　　London；　1908。）；　it　is　truly　scientific　in　its　determination　to　know　the　very　truth；　to　tell　what　we　think；　not　what　we　think　we　ought　t