MODERN BIOLOGY 493 



school education and especially distinguished himself in the exact sciences, 

 the classical languages having no attraction for him. He chose engineering 

 as his profession, distinguishing himself by a number of minor inventions. 

 His restless and insatiable desire for knowledge, how^ever, soon induced him 

 to abandon that career, and he resolved to devote himself to working out a 

 general scientific system. In order to carry out his purpose he studied many 

 different sciences, chiefly those of an exact character, and during that period 

 he earned a livelihood by writing for newspapers and journals. He never 

 received any public appointment and he consistently declined the honours 

 that were offered him, especially towards the close of his life, from many 

 quarters. In a constant struggle with poverty he lived in solitude, being 

 also during the latter part of his life a sufferer from a severe nervous afflic- 

 tion. He was ruthlessly radical, not only in his political views, but even 

 in his personal behaviour; he always gave his opinion straight out, and if 

 a conversation bored him, he put stoppers into his ears. In spite of his ill 

 health he lived to a good old age. When he died, in 1903, his body was 

 cremated without any funeral ceremony. 



Spencer's idea of evolution 

 Herbert Spencer was not a specialist in biology, and his speculations on 

 biological problems have not advanced that science to any very great ex- 

 tent. He nevertheless deserves a place in the history of biology as a rare 

 example of a consummate and typical representative of that evolutional mode 

 of thought which was awakened to life by the general tendency of the times 

 in the middle of last century and which was promoted by Darwinism. He 

 is commonly called the most consistent philosopher of evolution which that 

 period produced — evolution forms the very groundwork of his system. In 

 its essential features this system was already pretty definite before the ad- 

 vent of Darwin; it was promulgated in a number of small articles in periodi- 

 cals, often characterized by masterly penetration and lucidity, afterwards 

 brought together to form an imposing work entitled A Systetn of Synthetic 

 Philosophy, which was the fruits of thirty years' work and which gives "a 

 broad, often too broad, development of what is recorded in the short trea- 

 tises" (HofFding). When Darwin produced his theory, Spencer associated 

 himself with it, although he interprets it after his own mind, and he became 

 one of the most influential promoters of the new doctrine of evolution. 

 Otherwise he is said not to have been in favour of extensive studies; he 

 preferred to think for himself and was very jealous of his independence. 

 Nevertheless, there is no doubt that Comte and his contemporary English 

 positivists exerted some influence upon him, and he himself admits that he 

 discussed biological problems with both Huxley and Hooker. 



