AS THE BIOLOGIST SEES IT 



ticular adaptation. Man has become 

 able to follow varying natural conditions. 

 I have recently read a fascinating paper 

 on "Forests and Human Progress." In 

 it the author, Dr. Zon, gives a seizing 

 picture of human civilization, first in a 

 stage of being dominated by forests, 

 then in the stage of successful struggle 

 with forests, and finally in the present 

 stage of domination of forests. Some- 

 what similar stories could be told of man 

 and oceans, man and mountains, man 

 and deserts, man and climate. Man's 

 narrow biologic specialization think of 

 the narrow limits of temperature, oxygen, 

 food and other conditions in relation 

 to his mere maintenance of life is offset 

 by his wide social inheritance and his 

 educability. This gives him power to 

 withstand and dominate antagonistic Na- 

 ture: even power to add the forces of 

 Nature to his own forces. He fights 

 against natural selection; he substitutes a 

 purposeful artificial selection for it. His 

 possession of consciousness, reason and 

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