II EVOLUTION AND ETHICS 83 



using their combined strength to constrain one of 

 their number to contribute his share to the main- 

 tenance of it ; or even to prevent him from doing 

 his best to destroy it. The struggle for existence, 

 which has done such admirable work in cosmic 

 nature, must, it appears, be equally beneficent in 

 the ethical sphere. Yet if that which I have in- 

 sisted upon is true ; if the cosmic process has no 

 sort of relation to moral ends ; if the imitation of 

 it by man is inconsistent with the first principles 

 of ethics ; what becomes of this surprising theory ? 



Let us understand, once for all, that the ethical 

 progress of society depends, not on imitating the 

 cosmic process, still less in running away from it, 

 but in combating it. It may seem an audacious 

 proposal thus to pit the microcosm against the 

 macrocosm and to set man to subdue nature to his 

 higher ends; but I venture to think that the 

 great intellectual difference between the ancient 

 times with which we have been occupied and our 

 day, lies in the solid foundation we have acquired 

 for the hope that such an enterprise may meet 

 with a certain measure of success. 



The history of civilization details the steps by 

 which men have succeeded in building up an 

 artificial world within the cosmos. Fragile reed 

 as he may be, man, as Pascal says, is a thinking 

 reed : ^^ there lies within him a fund of energy, 

 operating intelligently and so far akin to that 

 which pervades the universe, that it is competent 



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