62 The Universe and Life 



book bears the title: Has Science Discovered GodP 

 What of biological science? Has biological science 

 discovered God? 



So far as I can see, it has not, if we give to the word 

 God any such meaning as I have set forth. There ap- 

 pears to me nothing in biological science, nothing in 

 general reasoning based upon the data of biology, 

 that indicates that life is not upon a new adventure. 

 So far as biological science can see, the highest stages 

 that biological life has reached in its progress at any 

 given time are indeed the highest stages that have yet 

 been reached. So far as biological science can see, 

 there is no indication of the previous existence of a 

 prototype, a final goal, toward which life is tending ; 

 there is no evidence that life already exists perfect 

 and complete before it begins its biological progress 

 upward. 



The progress of life is not of the kind that would 

 be anticipated if life were following a certain existing 

 pattern, seeking a goal already set or being guided 

 by an all-knowing and all-powerful being. As we have 

 before set forth, life moves into a million blind alleys. 

 It attempts to exist and to operate with imperfect, 

 inadequate organs, by imperfect, inadequate means. 

 Most of its efforts fail. The progress that it makes is 

 through the survival of a few successful remnants 

 out of millions of failures that perish through their 

 imperfection and inadequacy. The progress that life 

 does make is not toward one goal but toward thou- 



1 Has Science Discovered God? A Symposium of Modern Scien- 

 tific Opinion, ed. E. H. Cotton. 



