THE VIEWS OF NATURE 101 



Asa Gray combated Agassiz's hypothesis that species 

 were originally created where we now find them 

 and in approximately the same numbers by invoking 

 Maupertuis's " principle of least action " "that 

 it is inconsistent with our idea of divine Wisdom 

 that the Creator should use more power than was 

 necessary to accomplish a given end." The result 

 may be secured with a less expenditure of energy 

 than Agassiz's method would entail. But who 

 knows that " our idea of the divine wisdom " is 

 truthful ? It is only a human metaphor ; but, being 

 human, it is useful. 



Much of our thinking about nature is only the 

 working out of propositions in logic, and logic is 

 sometimes, I fear, but a substitute for fact. It is 

 impossible to put ourselves in nature's place if I 

 may be allowed the personification ; that is, difficult 

 to get the point of view of the organism that we are 

 studying. If it were possible to get that point of 

 view, it would be an end to much of our specu- 

 lation ; we should then deal with fact. 



We hope that we are coming nearer to an 

 intrinsic view of animals and plants ; yet we are so 

 intent on discovering what ought to ^be that we 

 forget to accept what is. 



