276 THE RIDDLE OF THE UNIVERSE. 



evolution — there still prevails the notion of a ''moral 

 order of the universe." Historians seek in the vivid 

 drama of history a leading design, an ideal purpose, 

 which has ordained one or other race or State to a 

 special triumph, and to dominion over the others. 

 This teleological view of history has recently become 

 more strongly contrasted with our monistic view in 

 proportion as monism has proved to be the only 

 possible interpretation of inorganic nature. Through- 

 out the whole of astronomy, geology, physics, and 

 chemistry there is no question to-day of a "moral 

 order," or a personal God, whose " hand hath disposed 

 all things in wisdom and understanding." And the 

 same must be said of the entire field of biology, the 

 whole constitution and history of organic nature, if 

 we set aside the question of man for the moment. 

 Darwin has not only proved by his theory of selection 

 that the orderly processes in the life and structure of 

 animals and plants have arisen by mechanical laws 

 without any preconceived design, but he has shown us 

 in the " struggle for life" the powerful natural force 

 which has exerted supreme control over the entire 

 course of organic evolution for millions of years. It 

 may be said that the struggle for life is the " survival 

 of the fittest" or the "victory of the best"; that is 

 only correct when we regard the strongest as the best 

 (in a moral sense). Moreover, the whole history of 

 the organic world goes to prove that, besides the pre- 

 dominant advance towards perfection, there are at all 

 times cases of retrogression to lower stages. Even 

 Baer's notion of " design " has no moral feature 

 whatever. 



Do we find a different state of things in the history 

 of peoples, which man, in his anthropocentric 



