354 RAYMOND J. NOGAR 



the curious fact about these " laws of evolution " is that they 

 have no universal character. They are verified in limited areas 

 only and admit of many exceptions. For this reason, biologists 

 prefer to call them " rules " and " trends " rather than laws.''" 

 More importantly, the rules or trends are not attributes of 

 evolutionary process, but are restrictive limitations on the pro- 

 cess imposed by the existing fundamental laws of neo-science. 

 As Rensch points out: 



The large number of general rules quoted above may be sufficient 

 to show that, in spite of primary undirectedness, evolutionary alter- 

 ations occur in forced directions to a large degree. After all, every 

 generalization in the field of biology means a restriction of evolu- 

 tionary possibilities. (Italics added.) 



63 



Dobzhansky confirms this observation that evolutionary pat- 

 tern, though showing trends, is historical only, and nothing in 

 the known history of life on earth compels one to believe that 

 the evolution of organisms is predetermined to change in one 

 direction only.*'* All the discussants at the Convention agreed 

 that evolutionary process is unique, non-recurrent and irre- 

 versible, even though " trends " can be detected which show 

 that the process is non-random. The course of evolution shows, 

 generally, three stages: diversification, transformation and sta- 

 bilization. But the process itself cannot be predicted, is unique 

 and contingent, cannot be reversed (by which laws of nature 

 are formulated) and is, by its very nature, historical. '^^ 



The upshot of this analysis is of capital importance. The 

 laws of nature, which are formulated in the neo-sciences about 

 the universe as we now know it, are truly universalized; they 

 are the laws of permanence, typical and verifiable by repetition 

 and reversibility. The rules of evolutionary process, on the 

 other hand, are contingent, non-reversible, unpredictable and 

 bear the stamp of restriction based upon the natural laws of 



'" Simpson, EAD, I, 167; Collin, loc. cit. 



"EAD,I, 111. 



" EAD, I, 405. 



*^ G. G. Simpson, The Major Features of Evolution (New York, 1953) p. 312. 



