II PSEUDO-SCIENTIFIC REALISM 87 



theory conceived that the species of animals and 

 plants were so many incarnations of the thoughts 

 of God material representations of Divine 

 ideas during the particular period of the world's 

 history at which they existed. But, under the 

 influence of the embryological and palaeontological 

 discoveries of modern times, which had already 

 lent some scientific support to the revived ancient 

 theories of cosmical evolution or emanation, the 

 ingenious author of this speculation, while denying 

 and repudiating the ordinary theory of evolution 

 by successive modification of individuals, main- 

 tained and endeavoured to prove the occurrence 

 of a progressive modification in the divine ideas 

 of successive epochs. 



On the foundation of a supposed elevation of 

 organisation in the whole living population of any 

 epoch, as compared with that of its predecessor, 

 and a supposed complete difference in species 

 between the populations of any two epochs 

 (neither of which suppositions has stood the test 

 of further inquiry), the author of this speculation 

 based his conclusion that the Creator had, so to 

 speak, improved upon his thoughts as time went 

 on ; and that, as each such amended scheme of 

 creation carae up, the embodiment of the earlier 

 divine thoughts was swept away by a universal 

 catastrophe, and an incarnation of the improved 

 ideas took its place. Only after the last such 

 " wreck " thus brought about, did the embodiment? 



