256 SCIENCE AND PHILOSOPHY OF THE ORGANISM 



of the factors which are concerned in transformism, or of 

 the law of transformism, in other terms, leaves the problem 

 of systematics practically where it was, and adds really 

 nothing to its solution. That may seem very deplorable, 

 but it is true. 



Imagine so-called historical geology, without any know- 

 ledge of the physical and chemical factors which are 

 concerned in it : what would you have except a series of 

 facts absolutely unintelligible to you ? Or suppose that 

 some one stated the cosmogenetic theory of Kant and Laplace 

 without there being any science of mechanics : what would 

 the theory mean to you ? Or suppose that the whole 

 history of mankind was revealed to you, but that you 

 had absolutely no knowledge of psychology : what would 

 you have but facts and facts and facts again, with not a 

 morsel of real explanation ? 



But such is the condition in which so-called phylogeny 

 stands. If it is based only on the pure theory of trans- 

 formism, there is nothing explained at all. It was for this 

 reason that the philosopher Liebmann complained of phylo- 

 geny that it furnishes nothing but a " gallery of ancestors." 

 And this gallery of ancestors set up in phylogeny is not 

 even certain ; on the contrary, it is absolutely uncertain, 

 and very far from being a fact. For there is no sound 

 and rational principle underlying phylogeny ; there is 

 mere fantastic speculation. How could it be otherwise 

 where all is based upon suppositions which themselves 

 have no leading principle at present ? I should not like 

 to be misunderstood in my polemics against phylogeny, 

 I fully grant you that it may be possible in a few cases 

 to find out the phylogenetic history of smaller groups with 



