364 Problems of Organic Adaptation 



count for purpose in man, as well as for fitness in lower or- 

 ganisms, if it is a universal principle. 



It is this point of view that gives weight and force to 

 non-mechanistic philosophy. Any system that denies will 

 and purpose to man must be false, not only because it con- 

 tradicts one of the most fundamental facts of consciousness, 

 one of the most general experiences of men, but also because 

 it is impractical and unlivable. 



If man is the product of mere chance or accident; if as one biologist 

 has said, "The evolution of consciousness is the greatest blunder in 

 the universe" ; if men live and die like the beasts and leave only their 

 bones and implements behind; if life and evolution and consciousness 

 are purposeless and lead to nothing if this were the teaching of the 

 mechanistic philosophy, then certainly it would be true that it debases 

 man, and destroys the hopes of mankind. The blighting effect of 

 such a philosophy is that it substitutes blind chance and necessity 

 for plan and purpose, both in nature and in human life. If there is 

 no teleology in nature, the course of evolution leading to man and to 

 consciousness is the result of blind and blundering accident. If there 

 is no purpose or value in human labor and suffering, life is not worth 

 living, and the only sane and sensible thing to do is to end it all by 

 suicide and race extinction. 



But there are evidences of teleology in nature and of purpose in 

 human life. Even struggle, suffering, and death have their value if 

 in the long course of evolution they lead to progress. Men do not die 

 and leave only their bones and implements, but "they rest from their 

 labors and their works do follow them." "Others have labored and 

 we have entered into their labors." Civilization is what it is today 

 because of the labor and influence of millions of persons, most of whom 

 are wholly unknown to us. Only a few men have achieved immortal 

 fame, but multitudes have contributed to human progress. 1 



In man at least intelligent purpose exists and must be ac- 

 counted for. Here is the crucial test of universal mechanism 

 the purpose, consciousness, soul of man ! If these psychic 

 phenomena are not mechanistic in origin some principle 

 other than mechanistic causality is present in man; and when 



'"Direction of Human Evolution," pp. 231, 232. 



