CHAPTER III 

 THE ORIGIN OF MORALITY 



The religious problem of the present time is determined very largely 

 by the fact that the modern mind, in its attempt to understand life, starts 

 from the platform of Natural Science. PROF. W. R. BOYCE GIBSON, 

 M.A., D.Sc., in Hibbert Journal, October, 1918. 



IN the previous chapters it was shown that the progress of the 

 organic world is mainly due to Symbiosis, and what this engenders 

 in values.* 



We found that the principle involved in Symbiosis is capable 

 of extension over a wide range though the partners be separate 

 and unconscious of their co-operation. Symbiosis became 

 definable as that system of mutuality (whether between units 

 and units, or males and females, or species and species, or genera 

 and genera, or, finally, and very importantly, between the 

 " kingdoms " on the grand scale of Nature) under which, whilst 

 one part or party devotes itself to one kind of work and yields 

 benefits to others, those others, jointly and severally in their 

 turn performing their special duties, yield benefits to the first in 

 exchange. 



In the present chapter, attention is to be more particularly 

 directed to the good moral effects of Symbiosis which is to be 

 specially vindicated as a source of morality, considered as the 

 gradually established sanction of sound bio-economic relations. 

 The imperative of the moral law is profound and deeply rooted 

 in the order of the universe, as Kant recognised. There is now 

 also an increasing consensus of opinion that consciousness descends 

 to the very lowest forms of organic life. 



It is highly probable that the same holds good of morality in 

 the sense at least of reciprocity of conduct. Systematic recipro- 

 city between species or wider groups, or " symbiotic behaviour," 

 involved from an early stage of evolution a kind of morality, 



* A good and generalised definition of " value " in this connection, which may be regarded 

 as appertaining also to Biology, is that of Ruskin : " To be valuable," is to " avail towards 

 life." "A truly valuable thing is that which leads to life with its whole strength. In propor- 

 tion as it does not lead to life, or as its strength is broken, it is less valuable ; in proportion 

 as it leads away from life, it is unvaluable or malignant." 



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