THE DOGMA OF EVOLUTION 



Natural Law, the Absolute Unknowable, and the Bi- 

 ologist may know. Such is, as I understand it, in bare 

 outline the philosophy of evolution. While it may be 

 true that each proponent of this doctrine may modify 

 it in particulars with that curious reluctance of all of 

 us to accept unreservedly the logical conclusions of 

 our postulates, yet we should recognize that this mo- 

 nistic philosophy, dependent on natural law, is the 

 governing idea of the world today. Those, and they 

 are the majority, who still wish to reconcile what is 

 commonly designated as Religion, — that is, a Prin- 

 ciple directing and guiding man's conduct outside the 

 principle of natural law — and what is commonly 

 called Science, — the belief in the absolute dominion 

 of natural law — should heed the warning of Spencer 

 who introduces this philosophy with the statement: 

 "Of all antagonisms of belief, the oldest, the widest, 

 the most profound and the most important, is that 

 between Religion and Science."^ If this controversy 

 ever ends it will be when Science has conquered Re- 

 ligion, for their essential aims are antagonistic. 



If such a system as this monistic philosophy of 

 naturalism is to be accepted, then the history of 

 man must be studied from an entirely different stand- 

 point. New sciences are necessary; and we have the 

 attempt to create the sciences of history, psychology, 

 and sociology by the evolutionists. No longer shall 

 we chronicle the deeds of the individual as a mys- 



^ First Principles, Appleton and Co., p. ii. 



C 308 3 



