RATIONALISM BASED ON DARWINISM 21 



movement (or gravitation) is the ultimate cause of all 

 phenomena." ^ 



Haeckel concludes the chapter on " the Law of Sub- 

 stance " with the following words : " Our Monistic view, 

 that the great cosmic Law applies throughout the whole 

 of Nature, is of the highest moment. ... It marks the 

 highest intellectual progress, in that it definitely rules out 

 the three central dogmas of metaphysics — God, freedom 

 and immortality. In assigning mechanical causes to 

 phenomena everywhere, the law of substance comes into 

 line with the universal law of causality." 



Such is the fundamental position of Haeckel's monis- 

 tic theory, and the question to be answered is : Which is 

 the more probable, that the evolution of the universe is 

 worked out by self-acting, blind and unconscious forces, 

 or by an Omnipotent, Intelligent First Cause? If there 

 be no consciousness in the energy at work ; whence came 

 consciousness in the product? 



Before proceeding further, it will be as well to make a 

 few comments upon this extraordinary theory of Materi- 

 alistic Monism. It at once gives one the impression 

 that, by starting with a disbelief in a Creator, Haeckel 

 is compelled to try and square the universe with his 

 atheism. He cannot ignore life, for it is in evidence in 

 his own person, therefore, to avoid its entrance into the 

 world in time, he relegates its existence to all matter 

 and ether as a kind of eternal living essence or substance. 



A true scientist always looks for some kind of evidence 

 in support of his working hypothesis. He is bound to 

 base it on some facts, however slight they may necessarily 

 be, where he wishes to bring the " unknown " within the 

 region of the " known ". In this Materialism there are 

 none : everything is assumed. All scientists have always 



J op. cif., p. 233. 



