100 ORGANIC EVOLUTION 



an analysis of the manner in which this wholly 

 erroneous rendering of the facts is reached, it is 

 sufficient to observe that it is reached. It is 

 thought that the law of evolution is tantamount to 

 a law of progress, and, since law is law, it must 

 be inevitable progress. Now a belief in human 

 progress was characteristic of the Liberalism of the 

 early nineteenth century, and it was imparted to 

 Spencer in his youth. In 1852 he was feeling 

 his way, though he did not then know it, to the 

 discovery of the law of universal evolution, and 

 in that year he wrote an essay entitled " Progress : 

 its Law and Cause." But further thought showed 

 him that the word must be abandoned, and in 1857 

 he substituted for it — the date will be historic — the 

 non-committal term evolution. Yet, after nearly 

 half a century, there is still foisted on to' the word 

 evolution the very notion which it was introduced 

 to avoid. The notion is totally false. The facts 

 of biology lend no support to the view that what 

 we mean by progress is a necessary consequence 

 of natural law. They conclusively prove that, in 

 virtue of evolution, progress is possible ; but, like- 

 wise, that — also in virtue of evolution — retrogression 

 is possible, equally possible. 



From all orders and families and species, alike 

 of the vegetable and the animal world, there may 

 be adduced instances in refutation of the theory 

 that there is a law of inevitable progress. Evolution, 

 in all spheres, organic, inorganic, and psychic, tends 

 constantly and consistently not towards what we 

 call progress, but towards more and more complete 

 adaptation of its products to their environment. 



