Evening star., 1941-10-14
Of Stors, Men
And Atoms
Notebook Of Science Progress
In Laboratory, Field
And Study
BIZ Thomas r. Henry.

By Thomas r. Henry.
A new chapter in the controversy over
evolution, which started nearly a CEN
tury ago with Charles Darwin's publica-
ton of the Descent of Man." is being
written in England with the nations
most eminent biologists, philosophers and
churchmen again on opposite sides.
With minds turned to reflection on
of war they are seeking some ground for
agreement.
The whole controversy is aired in the
latest issue Of Nature, organ of the Brit
ish Association for the Advancement of
Science, received here.
1t was precipitated by the contention
of c. H. Waddington of Christ's College,
Cambridge, one of the worlds foremost
authorities on geneticS, that evolution
itself is the basis of ethics, that societies
evolve moral codes which are enforced
on their members as means of survival
as societies Dr. Waddington holds that.
development of the psychoanalytica
"superego," or conscience" in the child
is a result of punishmentS to which it is
subjected so that it can be lived with.
There is no need, he holds, of an ex-
ternal criterion outside of evolution
itself, such as a supernaturally revealed
code of morals.
Once this is accepted, he holds, ethics
become matter of science which studies
the processes of evolution and determines
what is good or bad for the progress of
society.
Perhaps after few years." he says,
"the fundamental notions of the scien-
tific outlook will be so deeply incor-
porated into normal life that they can be
transmitted by the unconscious gestures
of mothers and nurses. An adequate
study of people who have grown up in
Soviet nurseries might tell us whether
this is too deeply optimistic.
In the world as whole real good
cannot be other than that which has been
effective-namely that which is exempli-
fed in the course of evolution
Naturally the church leaders disagree
but-so much has the world changed
since DarWin-not entirely.
Evolution in the past, says the Right
Rev. E. w. Barnes, Bishop of Birming-
ham, has been decidedly non-moral ac-
cording to present-day standards and
only started to have some traces OF
morality few million years ago with the
development of parental affection among
Warm-blooded animals.
But it may we'll be-" he says, that the
process itself is being Transformed. No
longer, it may be, are new animal forms
being evolved, bat new levels of spiritual
understanding are emerging"
Far more on the other side is the Very
Rev. w. R. Mathews, dean of st. Pauls.
Evolution" he says, appears to sug-
gest that all moral ideas are relative, but
the moral consciousness regards some of
them as absolute. We are confronted
with the situation now in every home.
There are some things of such value that
men ought to be prepared to die for them.
1t is reasonable to be prepared to die for
them. Why? Men answer with action
and, it may be suspected, deplorably con-
fused notions of ethical theory. But they
act because, in their simple way, they
believe that the voice of duty comes from
a source deeper and more intimate than
the course of evolution"
Evolution has no concern with value"
declares DR.. w. G. de Burgh, professor of
philosophy at the University of Reading.
Are not our present world troubles due
In large measure to the fact that our
knowledge of science has far outrun our
morality? Science has placed instru-
ments of world-shaking power in the
hands Of rulers who abuse them for their
own unrighteous ends. These instru-
ments are in themselves non-moral
Morality lies in the will to good. i'm
morality in the will to evil. OF these
ends, whether they be good or whether
they be evil, science can tell us nothing"
Il can't understand" says Dr. C. E. M.
Joad, professor of psychology at the Uni
versity of London, how anything can be
measured without a ruler which is ex-
ternal to and other than what it meas
ures"
THE process Of evolution" says DR.. A.
D. Ritchie, professor of philosophy at
the University of Manchester has
thrown up Hitler, Himmler, Goebbels and
their like. If they were to win the war
would that show the direction of the
evolutionary process?"
The potentialities of further true
progress" says DR.. Julian Huxley, Sec
retary of the Geological Society of Lon
don, now appear to be restricted to our
own species, but there is no guarantee
that we shall achieve them. But DR..
Waddington's thesis of ethical systems
derived from the impact of changing
external world on the minds of indivi-
duals appears to be fundamental one"