12 HOLISM AND EVOLUTION chap. 



the unfit in the struggle for existence, and leaving the 

 fit in possession of the field to reproduce their kind and to 

 continue the story of Evolution. Natural Selection, from 

 whatever cause arising and in whatever way operating, is 

 on this view taken to be merely a mechanical cause or factor, 

 just as is a hailstorm which kills plants and animals with 

 hailstones, or a drought which kills them from want of water. 

 Whether the destruction arises from physical mechanical 

 causes like storms or drought or lightning, or whether it 

 arises from the action of living agencies such as enemies 

 or disease or the like, makes no difference to the result, which 

 is in either case the same. A broad generalised statistical 

 view of the causes of elimination has been taken and 

 Natural Selection as a whole has on this view assumed the 

 appearance of a mere external mechanical factor. On this 

 view of Natural Selection, therefore, Darwin's theory of 

 Evolution has come powerfully to reinforce the generally 

 prevalent mechanical position. The effect has been just 

 the opposite to what one might have expected from a great 

 biological advance. The kingdom of life, instead of 

 fighting for its own rights and prerogatives, has tamely 

 and blindly surrendered to the claims of physical force 

 and actually joined hands with it and contributed to 

 its supremacy. The acceptance of Darwinism, therefore, 

 so far from stemming the tide of mechanical ideas, has 

 actually furthered and assisted it, and raised it to full 

 flood. Through a misconception of the nature of Natural 

 Selection the mechanical ideas have invaded the domain of 

 life, where opposition might have been expected, and through 

 the conquest and occupation of that domain the mechanical 

 position, which would otherwise have been confined to the 

 material physical sphere, has been extended and powerfully 

 consolidated. This result was due, as I say, to the general- 

 ised statistical concept of Natural Selection, irrespective of 

 whether it was due to organic or inorganic causes. 



There is, however, one form of Selection which cannot be 

 thus indiscriminately dealt with. It arises not only from 

 organic causes, but still more narrowly and quite indisput- 



