An Introduction to a Biology 



used to mean the endowing of anything non-human 

 with any human attribute. You must not say 

 that the lark sings for sheer joy, because that is an 

 anthropomorphic interpretation of the song of the 

 lark. You must not say that the protective colora- 

 tion or habits of any animal are the result of in- 

 tention or design in any form, because that would 

 be an anthropomorphic interpretation of the pheno- 

 menon. Any ascription of purpose or intention, 

 intelligence or design, to a non-human animal is 

 condemned at once by contemporary orthodox bi- 

 ology on the ground of its radical anthropomorphism. 

 It is true that purpose, intention, intelligence and 

 design are attributes of man. It does not follow 

 from this that they are attributes of man only. 

 Yet this conclusion is the central idea of modern 

 biology, the idea that the structure, activities and 

 development of the organism can be explained in 

 terms of physics, chemistry and mechanics, and 

 that the evolution of life is explained not by in- 

 telligence, design, purpose or intention, but simply 

 and as it were automatically by the theory of 

 natural selection. 



Before we turn our attention to the theory of 

 the organism and to the theory of its evolution, 

 it will be well to examine more closely the way in 

 which the mind has been led astray by the word 

 " anthropomorphism " ; for by such an inquiry we 

 shall arm ourselves against similar deception prac- 

 tised by other words. 



The great length of the word, and its constant 

 repetition, may in some degree account for its 

 impressive effect and for its anaesthetic influence 



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