DARWIN 



that: "With the exception of special points I did 

 not even understand H. Spencer's general doctrine; 

 for his style is too hard work for me."^ Although 

 he cannot understand this doctrine he is unrestrained 

 in his admiration of it and gives his opinion that 

 Spencer is perhaps equal to any philosopher that 

 ever lived. One could, possibly, find some justifica- 

 tion for such an estimate, but it is incomprehensible 

 that a great leader of thought, such as Darwin, could 

 have accepted the shallow reasoning of Malthus 

 whom he calls "that great philosopher." Wearied 

 by controversy and hostility to his own ideas, he con- 

 soles himself for the slow acceptance of his own the- 

 ory. "It consoles me," he writes, "that sneers 



at Malthus, for that clearly shows, mathematician 

 though he may be, he cannot understand common 

 reasoning. By the way what a discouraging example 

 Malthus is, to show during what long years the 

 plainest case may be misrepresented and misunder- 

 stood."^ There are, perhaps, some cases where import- 

 ant scientific work is not linked to metaphysics; but, 

 certainly, the theory of natural selection is not one of 

 them; its failure is largely due to its foundation of 

 false philosophy. Why such statements, as the above, 

 should be impressed upon us as a virtue of innate 

 modesty is hard to understand. They have the ring of 

 simple statements of fact. It cannot be called a virtue 



^ Life and Letters, vol. II, p. 371. 

 ^Ibid., vol. II, p. 111. 



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