ORIGIN OF SPECIES 213 



reasons why men of science are almost as one man in 

 their acceptance of the doctrine of evolution; but it 

 is a fact that perhaps never before in the history of 

 human thought has there been more complete unan- 

 imity of opinion on a debated question than the 

 unanimity of men of science concerning the general 

 idea of evolution. Galilei may have yielded to 

 pressure and recanted his costly truth, but it is im- 

 possible for a man of science of today to renounce 

 his belief in evolution. 



This makes it plain that the problem of the origin 

 of species is recognized as a special problem in evo- 

 lution. Yet, while singling it out as a special problem, 

 it may not be ignored that it is indeed the core of the 

 problem of organic evolution. Therefore it is small 

 wonder that the opponents of evolution consider the 

 honest admissions of dissatisfaction with the theory 

 of descent as extremely damaging to the entire 

 doctrine of evolution. 



The current theory of the origin of species, as 

 everyone knows, is an effort to account for the suc- 

 cessive appearance of higher and higher forms of life 

 during geologic time. It teaches that all existing 

 life-forms have descended in an unbroken line from 

 the first and lowliest form or forms of life on the early 

 earth. With the origin of life the theory is not con- 

 cerned. The problem of the theory is how to account 



