THE DOGMA OF EVOLUTION 



to root out weeds as it is to plant flowers. At all 

 events, he who feels the strong impulse to examine the 

 work of others critically will probably, also, follow 

 his bent whether it be useful or not. In the spirit of 

 trying to satisfy myself what were the true methods 

 and aims of science, I published a book called The 

 himitations of Science in which I tried to separate the 

 problems which lay within and without its field. I 

 specifically called attention to the danger of attempt- 

 ing to make science the Arbiter of Ethics, con- 

 cluding that of all such attempts the domination of 

 thought by the doctrine of evolution was likely to 

 lead to the greatest harm. As the book was completed 

 in 1914 and as the chapter in question had been writ- 

 ten as an essay some time previously, when the storm 

 which was to shatter the peace of the world was hard- 

 ly above the horizon, I may be allowed some feeling 

 of justification for my views. The book was also de- 

 signed to be the introductory volume of a critical his- 

 tory of science. 



As I am by training a physicist, it may be asked 

 why I undertake a discussion of biology and of evolu- 

 tion in particular. My reasons are that there is a more 

 urgent need for a critique of biology as it is the science 

 which is furthest out of its field, and also its influence 

 on life and thought is more direct and readily seen 

 than is that of the physical sciences and, consequent- 

 ly, may be more pernicious. While the physical 

 sciences have endeavoured to dominate thought, they 



