SCIENCE AND SOCIALISM. 587 



could Darwinism, " carried out to its logical conclusions," be inscribed 

 on their banner. 



If the Socialist-Democratic doctrines had any organic relationship to 

 the anthropological side of Darwinism, science would find its way into 

 it. It would ill befit Science to complain of this. In fact, the Socialist 

 Democrats believe that such alliance has already been effected between 

 science and their philosophy, and it will do no harm to consider the 

 situation, though as conceived by the Socialist Democrats it implies a 

 fundamental misunderstanding. 



In the " Volksstaat " {ubi supra) we read : 



The Darwinian theory is an important support for Socialism: it is, so to 

 speak, unconsciously its sanction on the part of natural science. For, after all, 

 what is the principal result or the practical meaning of the Darwinian doctrine ? 

 Surely, along with a profound insight into the workings of organic nature, it 

 means the explicit recognition of the doctrine of equality between all men. If, 

 etc. . . . then surely we may well preach Sociahsin, inasmuch as every one 

 knows that each individual is a product evolved by nature, and hence having 

 the same claims on nature. 



Then the conclusion is drawn that, inasmuch as the reactionaries will 

 not accept the descent of man, they do all they can to prevent the 

 recognition of Darwinism as a support of Socialist Democracy, and to 

 check its diffusion among the people. 



How the Socialist Democrats picture to thenoselves the equality of 

 all men, and first of all the equal natural condition of all men, we see 

 in Jacoby : " Man is good from the beginning " ; " The brain of each 

 individual man is capable of being developed so that it shall of itself do 

 all thinking, just as the hand of each individual man is capable of being 

 developed so that it shall do everything with the aid of machinery." 

 That hitherto we have seen only capacity for equal development, while 

 in fact there exists great inequality of development, is due to the fact 

 that only those who enjoy unnatural privileges have the time requisite 

 for the development of their consciousness. When men shall once have 

 been properly brought up to equality in the Socialistic state, then equal 

 development, with bias toward the good, will come of itself, for " knoicl- 

 edge of nature compels us to regard cdl men as beings capable of devel- 

 opment in precisely the same measure.'''' 



But by the term "all men " is to be understood the male portion of 

 the race, for many Socialist Democrats agree with high authorities in 

 holding that woman, by reason of her abnormal brain-structure, must, 

 in the state of the future, act a subordinate part : judgment, action, are 

 not for her, but only feeling, and the faculty of order. 



In all this it were difficult to find a single trait that can be referred 

 to the Darwinian anthropology. The SociaUst's "aspiration toward 

 perfection " is associated with his ideal of the equality of mankind. 

 Now, this illusion Daricijiism utterly demolishes. The very principle 

 of development negatives the principle of equality. So far does Dar- 



