234 CHARLES DEKONINCK 



Before dwelling on this second deduction, namely natural 

 selection, let us return for a moment to the first, the struggle 

 for existence, which Darwin attributes to every organism. And 

 here is where we will encounter our dilemma. We all know 

 what the expression " struggle for existence " means as referring 

 to man's activity, as when he struggles to get somewhere, say, 

 physically, to get up a hill, or against an enemy, or to make 

 a living, or to get a job. In this context the word " struggle " 

 is quite clear. It can be verified immediately. But what does 

 it mean when applied to all organisms, to beasts, and even to 

 plants as Darwin holds. '^ He was keenly aware that he was not 

 using the expression in its readily verified meaning. And here 

 I quote from the very same Chapter Three. 



I should premise that I use this term in a large and metaphorical 

 sense including dependence of one being on another, and including 

 (which is more important) not only the life of the individual, but 

 success in leaving behind progeny. Two canine animals, in a time 

 of dearth, may be truly said to struggle with each other which 

 shall eat food and live. But a plant on the edge of a desert is said 

 to struggle for life against the drought, [and here the meaning of 

 " struggle " is going to be somewhat diminished], though more 

 properly it should be said to be dependent on the moisture. A 

 plant which annually produces a thousand seeds, of which only one 

 of an average comes to maturity, may be more truly said to 

 struggle with the plants of the same and other kinds which already 

 clothe the ground. The mistletoe is dependent on the apple and a 

 few other trees, but can only in a far-fetched sense be said to struggle 

 with these trees, for, if too many of these parasites grow on the 

 same tree, it languishes and dies. But several seedling mistletoes, 

 growing close together on the same branch, may more truly be said 

 to struggle with each other. As the mistletoe is disseminated by 

 birds, its existence depends on them; and it may methodically be 

 said to struggle with other fruit bearing plants, in tempting birds 

 to devour and thus disseminate its seeds. In these several senses, 

 which pass into each other, I use for convenience' sake the general 

 term Struggle for Existence. [Italics added.] 



There stands the dilemma. The first one is clearly expressed 

 when he says, " I use this term in a large and metaphorical 

 sense." This is nonetheless most equivocal. The second is the 



