CONTINUITY APPLIED 177 



tained that "Social progress means a checking of the 

 cosmic process at every step, and the substitution of 

 another, which may be called the ethical process." ^ 

 But what is to be thought of creatures whose progress 

 depends upon setting aside the laws of development 

 which are said to account for their origin and nature, 

 if no higher powers are imparted to them than those 

 which these laws of development have evolved ? Does 

 not such an outcome mean an utter subversion of con- 

 tinuity, unless the philosophy of history is enlarged by 

 allowing for supernatural factors in the drama? So 

 far from belief in the supernatural quality of man's 

 primitive state being inconsistent with an acceptance 

 of the principle of continuity, it is just such belief that 

 enables the Christian philosopher to accept that prin- 

 ciple in its most difficult appHcation. 



The method of argument which I have been employ- 

 ing with regard to human righteousness applies to 

 the problem of immortality. Physical mortality is 

 obviously a specific character of man as he is consti- 

 tuted by natural evolution. Yet both natural investi- 

 gation and supernatural revelation teach that the desire 

 for, and behef in, his immortality is natural to man. 

 Is this natural aspiration another useless character 

 — another product of evolution which must miss the 

 mark obviously aimed at? It is, if human nature is 

 afforded no supernatural assistance, for in itself that 

 nature is mortal.^ The reply will no doubt be made 



1 Evolution and Ethics, p. t^^)- 



2 In view of the limited range of the facts upon which Weismann 



13 



