Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1914-09-23
SCIENTISTS DOUBT
DARWIN'S THEORY OF
LIFE'S EVOLUTION
Presidents Address Before
British Association Casts
Doubt Upon Natural Sc
lection Teaching on Varia-
ton.

| The whole trend of scientific thought
| since Darwin has been to demonstrate
| how the simple elements with which life
began have developed from that sim
plicity into the complex forms we know.
| Says the Congregationalst: The Darwin
ian hypothesis Of evolution by natural Sc
lection has recently been subjected to
| fierce criticism and has been rejected by
| many students of biology, at least as a
| competent explanation OF the varieties
| and complexities we find in the animate
| world.
| The feeling has been growing that Dar-
| wins vast and invaluable accumulation
| of facts and observations have but at
| tempted to explain variety by variation
and that, as he himself hinted, there may
be gaps In tho argument which might
prove fatal to Its validity. Now comes
Prof. Rateson, the famous English botan-
ish and student of heredty, and assures
us that we must make n complete volte
face in regard to the method of develop
ment, and instead of proceeding from the
simple to the complex. proceed from the
complex to the simple.
ADDRESS ON HEREDITY.
The presidential address at the an
nual meetings of the British Associa-
ton has usually been full of interest
for the students of scientific thought
and often of philosophy, and Prof Bate
sons first address, given in Melbourne,
Australia, is no exception to this rule.
He Is working in the fruitful field of OBJ
servation in heredity, first opened by Men
del.
knowledge OF herdlty," he says. has
so reacted on our conception of varia-
ton that very competent men are even
denying that variation in the old sense
Is q genuine occurrence at all. Vara-
ton Is postulated as the basis of evolu-
tionary change. Do VIC, then, as a mat
ter of fact, find in the world about us
variations occurring of such a kind as to
warrant faith in contemporary pro-
gressive evolution? Until lately most of
us would have said, Yes. without misgiv-
ing. We would have pointed out, as Dar-
win did, to the immense range of d.
versity seen In many wild species so COM
monty that the difficulty Is to define the
types themselves.
1.-THE appearance of contemporary varI-
ability proves to be an illusion. Varia-
ton from step to step In the series must
occur either by the addition or by loss
of a factor Now. of the origin of new
forms by loss there seems to me to be
fairly clear evidence, but of the contem?
porary acquisition of any new factor 1
see no satisfactory proof, though admit
there are rare examples which may be
SO interpreted. We are left with a pic
ture OF variation utterly different from
that which we saw at first Variation
now stands out as a definite psychological
event"
FORMS REALLY SIMPLE.
We cannot follow this elaborate tech
nical discussion OF the fundamental basis
of biological thought. The revolutionary
element in Professor Bateson's thinking
is that he postulates complexity with DO
tential unfolding OF all that we have
seen in the variations and possibilities
of life toward simplicity. The method, SO
far as he suggests 1t, is by the removal
of inhibitions. What has happened Is
not that the simple has grown into the
complex by addition, little by little, of
qualities from without. but that an initi-
ally complex organism has by the re-
moval of one limitation after another |
been brought to its present condition OF
simplicity.
THE hypothesis is full of suggestions |
for thought in many fields. 1t will be |
certain to prove a moot point of conflict |
for scientific hypothesis builders for a |
long time to come, The battle between |
the Darwinians and the Mendelians as |
Professor Bateson would no doubt call |
the followers OF his thought OF evolu- |
tionary method, will be fierce at every |
point of contact Since neither Darwin |
Ism nor the contradictory hypothesis |
which Professor Bateson offers as a sug-
gestion directly affects the Christian
faith. which rests upon personal relations
with God, We disciples OF Christ may
watch with interest but without concern
the progress OF the battle.