CHAPTER VI 



FAILURE OF THE CLASSICAL FACTORS TO RESOLVE THE 

 GENERAL PHILOSOPHICAL DIFFICULTY RELATING TO 

 EVOLUTION, HOW THE COMPLEX CAN PROCEED FROM 

 THE SIMPLE, AND THE GREATER FROM THE LESS 



THIS difficulty has been entirely neglected or evaded 

 by classical transformism. It is nevertheless a formidable 

 one. 



The spontaneous appearance of forms superior to 

 the originals is a pure impossibility, alike from the 

 scientific and from the philosophic point of view. 



There is no escape from the dilemma: either there 

 is no evolution, or it implies a potential immanence in 

 the evolving universe. 



Evolution being demonstrated, we are compelled to 

 admit that all the progressive and complex transforma- 

 tions that have been realised existed potentially in the 

 primitive elementary forms or form. 



This in no way means that evolution, as it has actually 

 come to pass, existed in germ in such and such a primi- 

 tive form in like manner as the living creature exists 

 in germ in the egg from which it will be hatched. 



Such pre-established finality seems very highly 

 improbable. The meaning is that the primitive form 

 contained all potentialities, those which have, and those 

 which as yet have not been realised; in the past, the 

 present, and the future. 



In this philosophical concept what function is 

 assigned to the classical evolutionary factors ? 



Simply that they are secondary and accessory. 



They have played an obvious part; they have 



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