Criticisms of Theory of Natural Selection. 335 



concealed under the clothes, and parading in the mask, 

 of mental purpose. The word ' natural ' suggests 

 Matter, and the physical forces. The word ' selection' 

 suggests Mind, and the powers of choice." This, how- 

 ever, is a mere quarrelling about words. Darwin 

 called the principle which he had discovered by the 

 name natural selection in order to mark the analogy 

 between it and artificial selection. No doubt in this 

 analogy there is not necessarily supposed to be in 

 nature any counterpart to the mind of the breeder, nor, 

 therefore, to his powers of intelligent choice. But 

 there is no need to limit the term selection (se and lego, 

 Gr. Ae'yco) to powers of intelligent choice. As previously 

 remarked, a bank of sea- weed on the sea-shore may be 

 said to have been selected by the waves from all the 

 surrounding sand and stones. Similarly, we may say 

 that grain is selected from chaff by the wind in the 

 process of winnowing corn. Or, if it be thought that 

 there is any ambiguity involved in such a use of the 

 term in the case of ' Natural Selection/' there is no 

 objection to employing the phrase which has been 

 coined by Mr. Spencer as its equivalent namely, 

 " Survival of the Fittest." The point of the theory is, 

 that those organisms which are best suited to their 

 surroundings are allowed to live and to propagate, 

 while those which are less suited are eliminated ; and 

 whether we call this process a process of selection, or 

 call it by any other name, is clearly immaterial. 



A material question is raised only when it is asked 

 whether the process is one that can be ascribed to 

 causation strictly natural. It is often denied that 

 such is the case, on the ground that natural selection 

 does not originate the variations which it favours, 



