LAMARCK 



mine the gradations of our ancestral changes we can 

 proceed to predict the future development of society. 

 To sum up all these points; can we use the conclu- 

 sions of biological evolution as a guide to conduct 

 and as a rational system of philosophy *? It is the pur- 

 pose of the present work to trace these applications 

 of evolution, to test the validity of their claims, and 

 to trace their effect on thought. 



So far, two hypotheses have been advanced to ac- 

 count for the method of evolution, which are consid- 

 ered to be plausible; the inheritance of acquired traits 

 by Lamarck which was outlined in his Philosophie 

 Zoologique in 1809, and Darwin's variation by nat- 

 ural selection which was the thesis of his Origin of 

 Species, published in 1859. 



Lamarck's theory was first misunderstood and, 

 after years of neglect, it was ridiculed by Darwin and 

 his followers. At present, it is growing rapidly in 

 favour as a valuable scientific theory. The publica- 

 tion of the Origi?i of Species, on the other hand, at 

 once aroused a tempest of discussion. The doctrine of 

 natural selection was bitterly condemned by the ma- 

 jority of scientists and was proclaimed pure atheism 

 by the clergy. But it was passionately advocated by a 

 small band of keen adherents who, by a remarkable 

 campaign, advanced its claims in the teeth of opposi- 

 tion. By the end of the century it had become the 

 dominant factor in biology and had been extended 

 to practically all fields of thought. When his theory 



C 16? ] 



