CHAPTER VI. 

 DARWINISM DEFENDED. 



IN taking up the defence of Darwinism it should be noted 

 in the first place that the anti-Darwinians are without the 

 walls ; that theirs is the burden of attack ; that 

 against them is the presumption of right. The 



defenders of Darwinians are in the castle, theirs simply the 



Darwinism, 



necessity of withstanding or repelling really 

 significant and truly threatening attack; theirs the strength 

 of possession and the presumption of truth. Much anti- 

 Darwinism is futile and easily answered ; much was an- 

 swered by Darwin * himself before ever the anti-Darwinians 

 formulated it ; much other anti-Darwinism is directed against 

 a position which Darwinism, true Darwinism, has long seen 

 the inadvisability, indeed the impossibility, of holding. 

 With certain concessions made, what use of further struggle 

 over them ? Thus by answering briefly the insignificant and 

 undamaging part of anti-Darwinian attack, or by referring 

 to Darwin's own answers of this, and by indicating clearly 

 and definitely the concessions that Darwinism is ready to 

 make, has made, indeed these humiliating concessions, if 

 humiliation is in them, only being made necessary because 



*Darwin's anticipation of the criticisms of his theories, and his 

 own open-minded and detailed answers to these criticisms, should, 

 of course, be held clearly in mind by any student of fur-und- 

 gcgen Darwinismus. but many of these answers concern objections 

 which present-day Darwinism has largely conceded as valid, and 

 most of the others touch matters on which modern biological re- 

 search has thrown much new light. So that it is perhaps fairer 

 to the Darwinian theories to set out the attitude of present-day 

 Darwinians. For a detailed critical consideration of Darwin's own 

 answers, see Morgan, "Evolution and Adaptation" (1903). 



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