94 



gegengesetzten Seiten sich vervollkommnen, SD rla3 die Pflanze sick zuletzt im Batim 

 (laxiernd tmd starr, das Tier im Mensclien zur hochsten Bewegliclikeit imd. Freiheit 

 sich. verlierrlicht. 



Here lie clearly seems to have sains idea of the theory of descant arid he 

 refers also to the divergence of characters. 



BIELSCHOWSKY*, explaining GOETHE'S idea as to the formation of species, 

 opines that, as to the origin of spades there are two possible theories, one 

 is that all the species are created by Gocl separately and iudepandently, and 

 the other is that all the species are formed by evolution from one single 

 origin. His thought is, in other words, that the formation of spscies is ex- 

 plainable in two ways, either by the creation theory or by the evolution 

 theory. And finally he concludes that, as GOETHE undoubtedly did not believe 

 the creation theory, he must have had in mind the evolution theory. 



My opinion is quite different from that of the above mentioned author. 

 I think that there is, besides the two ways mentioned by BIELSCHOWSKY, one 

 more way possible for the formation of species ; that is one which is explain- 

 able by the participation theory to which I have above alluded. According 

 to this theory, an innumerable number of species of organic beings have 

 existed from the eternal past and Mill exist to the eternal future ; they unite 

 with or separate from one another, and produce many dillerent organisms by 

 different combinations of the genes ; or they change by themselves, as the 

 genes change. Thus, they come from the eternal past, changing their forms 

 incessantly, and will continue to change forever. 



GOETHE'S idea is certainly n >t explainable by the creation theory. It is 

 sometimes, as I have above stated, somewhat conformable to the evolution 

 theory. Yet, the correct explanation of his ideas, according to my opinion, is 

 given by the participation theory. 



Conclusion and Additions. 



GOETHE'S opinions sometimes change. To interpret them, according to 

 one of his ideas, wliich I believe to be correct, his Blatt in the case of 

 vegetable organs, or Urpflanzt in the case of plant species, is neither a 



* BIELSCHOWSKY, A. I.e. p. 437. 



