THE METHOD 99 



running from the latter to the highest organic form, 

 that there could not be complete dissociation, without a 

 fatal result to all evolution. Forms of evolution are 

 divergent, only as a family kinship is divergent, in mak- 

 ing, with its outgrowing, the form of a tree, and its 

 branches. It is after all only a straight line of descent, 

 with modifications in the members of it. 



BERGSON. Some philosophers and scientific writers 

 have opposed the method of evolution advocated by 

 Darwin and Spencer. The most recent and radical of 

 these is Henri Bergson, whose views have met with 

 great favor in France, and with some thinkers in 

 America, William James, for instance. Bergson admits 

 that science is compelled by the nature of the intellect, 

 to treat evolution according to the logic of mathe- 

 matics, that is by measurements of matter. The in- 

 telligence, or intellect, acts only on matter. This is 

 taking the products of evolution, with which to prove 

 evolution. It is, says Bergson,, necessary to invoke 

 intuition, growing out of intelligence, and instinct, in 

 order to determine that all forms of extension are 

 mere snapshots of the creative process, and represent 

 the conflict going on between the flux of universal con- 

 sciousness, and matter. Intuition dives into the flux of 

 life which is guided by a "vital impetus," which, how- 

 ever, is not endowed with design. There is no teleology. 

 Science, he says, is mathematical, theology is teleologi- 

 cal, or finalistic. Neither is true in philosophy, which 

 is metaphysical. He believes nature has been evolved, 

 but not from without, by a continuous process of in- 

 tegration, but by discontinuity and division, from a 

 center to a circumference. In doing this matter has 

 impeded it, and the material bodies are degradations. 



This is anti-mtellectualism, and is partially parallel 



