X_XX PREFACE TO THE THIRD EDITION. 



first authorities in our science. Whilst Vogt completely 

 opposes himself to these important views, which from 

 day to day become more firmly established, he refers to 

 Karl Semper, a "gifted" naturalist, who shares these 

 views of Vogt's, and who derives Vertebrates from Kinged 

 Worms (Annelida). I regret that I can make no use of 

 this reference; nor do I find reason to answer Semper's 

 polemic on "Haeckelism in Zoology" (" Haeckelismus in 

 der Zoologie." Hamburg, 1876) ; for, apart from his de- 

 fective education and his insufficient acquaintance with the 

 whole subject of Zoology, this " gifted " zoologist is so 

 much at variance with logic, as also with truth, that 

 refutation seems superfluous. (Cf. vol. i. p. 91 and p. 426.) 

 An example is sufficient to show this : In order to indicate 

 the scientific value of "Haeckelism," and in order "to 

 show that this tendency must continually diverge more 

 and more widely from the really scientific study ol 

 nature," Semper brings forward the fact that, " according 

 to Haeckel's own statement, Darwinism should be the 

 religion of every naturalist." This last statement, which 

 I consider absurd, is not mine, but that of my determined 

 opponent, Professor Riitimeyer, and I quoted the sentence 

 in the preface to the third edition of the " Natural History 

 of Creation " merely to show the singular ground occupied 

 by its author. 



The wide cleft which separates my standpoint of the 

 history of evolution and of natural science, as a whole, 

 from that of Yogt and Semper cannot be better indicated 

 than by our mutual position towards philosophy. Karl 

 Vogt, like his friend Karl Semper, was a sworn contemner 

 of all philosophy. The former seizes every opportunity to 



