The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1893-01-22

may be led to pursue that course OF action
which Is most beneficial to the species by SUI
fering. such as pain. hunger. thirst. and fear;
or by pleasure. as In eating and drinking and
In the propagation Of the species. DC; or By
both means combined, rs In the search for
food. But pain or suffering Of any kind. II
long continued causes depression and lessons
the power Of action that is we'll adapted to
mako n creature guard itself against any
great or sudden evil Pleasurable SEN
s%ations. on the other hand. may be
long continued without any depressing effect;
on the contrary. they stimulate the whole sys-
tenn to increased action. Hence 1t has corne to
pass that most or all %sentient beings have been
developed In such O manner through natural
selection that pleasurable sensations serve as
their habitual guides. We see this in the
pleasure from exertion. even occasionally
from great ~cxertion OF the body or mind in the
pleasure OF our daily meals. and especially In
the pleasure derived from sociability and from
loving our family. The sum Of such pleasures
as those. which are habitual or frequently re-
current. give, as I can hardly doubt. to most
s%entient beings an excess OF happiness over
misery. although many occasionally suffer
much. Such suffering Is quite compatible. with
the belief In natural selection. which is not
perfect In its action. but tends only to render
each species as successful as possible in the
battle for lifo with other species In wonder.
fully complex and changing circumstances"
Darwin. OF course. does not dispute TINT
there Is much suffering In the world. He
points out That some have attempted to ex-
plain this with reference to man br imagining
that 1t serves for his moral improvement. But
the umbe OF mon In the world Is as nothing
compared with that OF all other s%entient be-
ings. and they often suffer greatly without
any moral Improvement" This very old ar
gument from the existence OF suffering
against tho existence Of IN Intelligent First
Cause seemed to Darwin u strong one. New
ertheless. he contends that the presence OF
much suffering agrees we'll with tho view that
all organic beings have been developed
through variation and natural selection. He
then touches u point OF deep interest to most
readers: AT the present day. the most usual
argument for the existence Of an intelligent
God is drawn from the decp inward con-
viction and feeling which are experienced
by most persons" Darwin acknowledges that
formerly ! was led by feelings such as those
Just referred to talthough l do not think that
tho religious sentiment was ever strongly de-
veloped in mel to the firm conviction OF the
existence Of God and OF the immortality OF the
soul. In my journal tof the voyage in tho
Bengle) | wrote that. while standing In the
midst OF the grandeur OF q Brazilian forest.
1t IL not possible to :ive an adequate idea OF
the higher feelings Of wonder. admiration.
and devotion which nj and elevate tho mind
l wei! remember my conviction that there is
more In man than the mere breath of his body:
butnowthe Erandest scene would not cause any
such conviction and feeling to rise In my mind.
1t may be truly said that l am like "A man who
has become color blind. and the universal
belief by men OF the existence Of redness. for
Y r MIN p,atcc n rrncopf lnea ri narcnptton
OF not the least value as evidence. This nrcu-
ment would be a valid one. IL all men OF
all races had the same inward conviction
Of the existence of one God: but we know that
this Is very far from being tho case. There
fore. ] cannot sec that such inward convic-
tons and feelings arc OF any weigh as evil
dence o! what really exists. Tho state OF mind
which grand scenes formerly excited in me,
and which was intimately connected with a
belief in God. did not essentially differ from
that which is often called the sense OF subllm-
ity; and however difficult 1t may be to explain
the genesis OF this sense. it can hardly be ad-
vanccd IA an argument for tho existence Of
God my more than tho powerful though vague
and similar feelings excited By music"
On another point OF supreme moment OAR
win sums up his views as follows: " With re-
spect to Immortality. nothing shows mo SO
clearly how strong and almost instructive q
belief 1t Is as tho consideration OF the view now
held by most physicists. namely. that tho sun
with all the planets will in time crow too cold
for life. unless. indeed. some great body
dashes into tho sun and thus gives it fresh
life. believing ms l do that man in the distant
future will be u far more perfect creature than
he now is. it Is an intolerabie thought that he
and all other sen;ient beings are doomed TO
complete annihilation after such long con-
4 .,A al ia. H. h~o ID all
nit the Immortality OF the human soul the de-
s~truction Of our world will not appear SO droad-
full, Another source OF conviction OF the ex-
istence OF God. connected with tho reason and
not with the feelings impresses me as
having much more weight. This follows
from the extreme difficulty. or rather impos-
sibility. OF conceiving this immense and Won
derful universe. including man. with his ca
pacity OF looking far backward and far into
~futurity rs tho result OF blind chance or neces-
sity. When thus rejecting. / feel compelled to
look to o First Cause having an Intelligent mind
In some degree analogous to that of man. and I
deserve to be called u Thcist. This conclusion
was strong In my mind about the time. as far
as l can remember, when | wrote the Origin
OF Species and 1t is since that time that II has
very gradually with many fluctuations become
weaker. But then arises the doubt-can tho
mind OF man. which has. rs l fully Lolieve.
been developed from u mind ms low ms that
possessed by the owest animals. be trusted
when 1t draws such grand conclusionsp |
cannot" concludes Darwin. pretend to throw
the least light on such abstruse problems.
Tho mystery Of the beginning Of all things is
insoluble by us. and /. for one. must be con-
tent to remain an agnostic."
vi.
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