The Relation of Organic to Mental Evolution. 271 



residue of five. Suppose, further, that conscious choice, 

 working down the scale, selects the five fit, neglecting the 

 residue of ninety-five unfit. And suppose yet further, 

 that the surviving five in the one case are similar in 

 character to the selected five in the other case. Then it is 

 clear that the ultimate products in the two cases are 

 practically similar. But this similarity of products does 

 not one whit alter the diverse nature of the processes by 

 which the similar products are reached. And if in some 

 cases the products of human choice seem to be similar to 

 those which would, we think, be reached by progressive 

 elimination, this does not justify the assertion that they 

 are due, in any logical sense, to natural selection. A 

 failure to grasp the distinction between the method of 

 natural selection and the method of conscious choice, 

 vitiates much that has been written on social evolution 

 in man ; * but of this I have nothing further to say at 

 present. What I desire to make clear is that, with the 

 advent of effective consciousness, not only a new factor, 

 but a new method of evolutionary progress is introduced. 

 If, for example, sexual selection by preferential mating 

 be a factor in evolution, its method is that of conscious 

 choice, and not of the progressive elimination of the 

 unfit, even if the products be similar to those which a 

 process of elimination would also give. And all conscious 

 acquisition, based as it is on intelligent choice, is reached 

 by a method different from that of natural selection. 

 Hence transmissionists are right in contending that if the 

 inheritance of acquired characters be accepted as an 

 established fact, this factor in evolution is different in its 

 essential nature, and in its method, from natural selection. 

 Granting that conscious choice is a factor in the 



* It vitiates, for example, Mr. S. Alexander's otherwise very valuable 

 contributions to the problem of moral evolution. 



