6 THE WORLD OF LIFE 



" The development of the universe is a monistic mechanical 

 process, in which we discover no aim or purpose whatever ; what 

 we call design in the organic world is a special result of biological 

 agencies ; neither in the evolution of the heavenly bodies, nor in 

 that of the crust of the earth do we find any trace of a controlling 

 purpose — all is the result of chance." 



Then, after discussing what is meant by chance, he 

 concludes : 



" That, however, does not prevent us from recognising in each 

 ' chance ' event, as we do in the evolution of the entire cosmos, the 

 universal sovereignty of nature's supreme law, the law of substance" 

 (P- 97)- 



Again, he defines his position still more frankly : 



" Atheism affirms that there are no gods or goddesses, assuming 

 that god means a personal, extra-mundane entity. This 'godless world- 

 system ' substantially agrees with the monism or pantheism of the 

 modern scientist. It is only another expression for it, emphasising 

 its negative aspect, the non-existence of any supernatural deity" 

 (P- 103). 



These vague and often incomprehensible assertions are 

 interspersed with others equally unprovable, and often 

 worded so as to be very offensive to religious minds. 

 After having put forth a host of assertions as to a possible 

 future state, which exhibit a deplorable ignorance of the 

 views of many advanced thinkers in all the Churches, he says : 



" Our own ' human nature ' which exalted itself into an image 

 of God in an anthropistic illusion, sinks to the level of a placental 

 mammal, which has no more value for the universe at large than 

 the ant, the fly of a summer's day, the microscopic infusorium, or 

 the smallest bacillus. Humanity is but a transitory phase of the 

 evolution of an eternal substance, a particular phenomenal form of 

 matter and energy, the true proportion of which we soon perceive 

 when we set it on the background of infinite space and eternal time " 

 (P. 87). 



The writings of Haeckel, the extremely dogmatic and 

 assertive character of which have been illustrated in the 

 preceding quotations, have had an immense influence on 

 many classes of readers, who, when a man becomes widely 

 known as a great authority in any department of science, 

 accept him as a safe guide in any other departments on 



