i6o PRESENT-DAY RATIONALISM 



of individual cases the petals or florets of some simple wild 

 flower, and observe the differences which occur when the group 

 is taken from a field with one soil, aspect or altitude, and then 

 from a second wherein all these things are changed." ^ 



He here introduces the precise cause of variation which 

 Darwin insists upon, or " changed conditions of life " with their 

 " definite action ". 



However, many of the " calculators " do not seem to have 

 considered differences of locality at all or changes in the 

 environment as important or necessary. 



When such are observed, then Natural Selection, of course, 

 is altogether a superfluity. 



I will conclude this section with a summary of the false 

 data upon which Darwinism is based. 



1. The intercalation of Structure or Form into Malthus' 

 Theory of Natural Selection in humanity. 



2. Individual Differences are not a source of variations, as 

 a rule, the necessary " changed conditions of life " and 

 "hereditary constancy" being mostly neglected by present 

 mathematical observers. 



3. The non-existence of Itidefinite variations in Nature. 



4. The assumption that death follows unfavourable varia- 

 tions in form. 



5. The analogy between man's extermination of forms he 

 does not require, with a destruction in Nature through the 

 struggle for existence. For man takes care that a selected 

 being should have no struggle at all. 



6. Any correlation between the subsequent appearances of 

 varietal characters (say of flowers and fruits) months or years 

 after the period when the struggle has taken place, i.e., during 

 infancy. 



7. That " Natural Selection " can be regarded as an agent 

 or as possessing any power to effect anything : since it might 

 be called Nature's registrar of births, deaths and survivals ; but 

 is unconcerned with the cause of any one of them. 



^ The Grammar of Science, p. 388. 



