Od. 4, 1877] 



NA TURE 



495 



sensation of inclination and disinclination f^Lust und Unlust), the 

 simple form of motion, attraction and repulsion, these are the 

 true elements out of which all soul-activity is built in infinitely 

 varied and complicated combination. "Thehiting and loving; 

 of atoms," attraction and repulsion of molecules, motion and 

 sensation of cells, and of the organisms composed of cells, the 

 formation of thought, and the consciDusness of man, these are 

 only different stages of the universal psychological process of 

 evolution. 



The unity in the conception of the universe (or " monism ") to 

 which the new doctrine of evolution thus leads us, annuls the 

 opposition which hitherto existed between the different dualistic 

 world systems. It avoids the one-sidedness of materialism as 

 well as that of spiritualism, it unites the practical idealism with 

 the theoretical realism, it combines natural science with mental 

 science {Gcisterdiissniscln.fl) to form an all-comprising uniform 

 general or total science. 



As thus we recognise the evolution doctrine of to-day to be a 

 uniform and uniting cement of the most heterogeneous sciences, 

 it gains the highest significance not only for the pure and theo- 

 retical but also for the practical and applied sciences. Neither 

 practical medicine as an applied natural science, nor practical 

 politics, jurisprudence and theology, in as far as they are parts of 

 applied philosophy wdl in future be able to escape its inflaence. 

 On the contrary we are convinced that it will prove, on all these 

 domains, to be the most important lever of progressive know- 

 ledge as well as of ennobled civilisation in gener.al. Now as the 

 most important point of afack of the latter i; the education of 

 the young, the evolution doctrine will have to claim its just 

 influence in the school as the most important means of education ; 

 here it will not be only tolerated, but it will become a ruling 

 and guiding element. 



If, finally, we are allowed to indicate, in a few words, at lea't 

 the most important points of this relation, we may first of all 

 lay stress upon the high significance of the genetic method in 

 itself. Teachers as well as those they teach will contemplate 

 each subject of their studies with infinitely greater interest and 

 understanding, if, before aU else, they ask themselves, " How 

 did this originate? How did it develop itself?" Because in 

 this question as to development the question as to the causes of 

 facts is comprised ; but after all it is al .vays the recognition of 

 the effecting causes, not the mere knowledge of fads, which 

 satisfies the constant want of causalities ol our mind. The 

 recognition of common simple causes for the most varying and 

 complicated phenomena leads to the simplification as well as to 

 the deepening of our education and culture ; only by causal cjn- 

 ception dead knowledge becomes living science. Not the quantity 

 of empirical knowledge, but the quality of i's causal conception, 

 is the true measure of the education of the mind. 



How far the outlines of the general doctrine of evolution 

 are now to be in'roduced into schools, in what succession 

 its most important branche;- -cosmogony, geology, phylogeny of 

 animals and plants, anthropogeny — are to be taught in the dif- 

 ferent classes, this we mast leave to practical pelagogues to 

 determine. But we believe that a far-reaching reform of educa- 

 tion is unavoidable in this direction, and that it will be crowned 

 with the most perfect success. How infinitely, for instance, the 

 important teaching of languages will gain in educational value, 

 if it is done comparatively and genetically ! How the interest 

 in physical geography wdl grow if it is genetically taught toge- 

 ther with geology ! How the tedious, dead systeniatics of the 

 species of animals and plants will gain life and light if the two 

 are explained as different branches of a common pedigree ! And 

 what a different conception we will, before all else, obtain of 

 our own organism if we recognise it no longer as the fictitious like- 

 ness of an anthropomorphous creator, but in the clear daylight 

 of phylogeny as the highest developed form of the animal king- 

 dom ; as an organism, which in the course of many millioas of 

 years has developed itself gradually from the line of vertebrate 

 ancestors, and has far surpassed all its relatives in tlie struggle 

 for existence ! 



As the doctrine of evolution will thus act in a fertilising and 

 furthering way upon all branches of education, it will at ihe 

 same time pro luce the consciousness of their monistic connection 

 in the minds of boh ttarliers and pupils. As historical natural 

 science it will step as mediator and canciliator between the two 

 opposed directions which to-day compete fur power in the higher 

 educational schools ; on ihe one siJe the older, classical, histo- 

 rical, philosophical direction, on the other the newer, exact 

 iiiathematical,. physical direction. Both directions of education 

 wc think equally justified and equally indispensable ; the human 



mind will only reach its full harmonious education, if both are 

 equally taken into account. If formerly classical education was 

 favoured too exclusively and one sidedly, this has happened only too 

 often recently with exact education. B jth excesses the doctrine of 

 evolution reduces to their proper measure, as it steps as a uniting 

 bond between exact and classical science, between that of nature 

 and that of the mind. Everywhere it teaches the living course 

 of the connected, monistic, and uninterrupted development. 

 Everywhere it shows to the zealous investigator new scientific 

 aims beyond those already attained, and thus "gently leads the 

 striving mind nearer and nearer to truth.'' The infinite perspec- 

 tive of progressive perfection which the doctrine of evolution 

 thus opens before us is at the same time the best protest against 

 the unforttuiate *' Ignorabimus," which it is obliged to hear now 

 from many quarters, because nibody can predict what "limits 

 of natural understanding " the human mind in the further course 

 of its astonishing development will yet overstep in future ! 



By far the most important and most difficult demand which 

 practical philosophy addresses to the evolution doctrine seems to 

 be that of^ a new doctrine of morals [SittctiUItre). It is certain 

 that afterwards, as before, the careful training of the moral cha- 

 racter will remain the principal task of education. But up to 

 the present the widest circles held the conviction firmly that this 

 most important problem could only be solved in connection with 

 certain ecclesiastical dogmas. Now as these dogmas, particularly 

 in their union with very old myths of creation, directly contradict 

 the principles of the doctrine of evolution, it was believed that 

 through the latter religion and morals were endangered in the 

 highest degree. • 



We consider this fear an erroneous one. It arises from the 

 constant mixing up of the true and reasonable natural religion 

 with the dogmatic, mythological church religion. The compara- 

 tive history of religions, an important branch of anthropology, 

 acquaints us with the great variety of external shells, in which 

 the different people and times, according to their individual 

 character and requirements, clothe religious thought. It shows 

 us that the dogmatic teachings of church religions themselves are 

 in a slow uninterrupted course of development. New churches 

 and sects arise, old ones perish ; at the best a certain form 

 of creed lasts a few thousand years, an insignificantly small 

 lapse of time in the reon-series of geological periods. Finally 

 we are also taught by the comparative history of culture, how 

 little true morality is necessarily united with a certain ecclesias- 

 tical creed. Often the greatest coarseness and decay of morals 

 go hand in hand with the absolute power of an almighty church. 

 We need only think of the middle ages ! On the other hand we 

 see the highest stage of moral perfection attained by men who 

 have separated themselves from all ecclesiastical beliefs. 



Independently of all church creeds, the germ of a true 

 religion of nature lives in the breast of every man ; it is connected 

 inseparably with the noblest features of human existence itself. 

 Its highest command is loz'c, the restriction of our natural 

 egotism in favour of our fellow men, for the benefit of human 

 society, of which we are the members. This natural moral law 

 is far older than all church religion. It has developed from the 

 social instincts of animals. With animals of very different 

 classes, particularly with mammals, birds aid insects, we find 

 its beginnings. According to the laws of association and of 

 cHvi ion of labour, many individuals here unite to form the 

 higher community, called a state or hive. Its existence is 

 necessarily connected with the reciprocal action of the menbers 

 of ihe community, and with the sacrifices they make to the 

 wh'.ile at the expense of their egotism. The consciousness of 

 this necessity, the Jeehitg of duty, is nothing else but a social 

 instinct. But instinct is always a psychic habit, which, acquired 

 originally by adaptation, has become inheritable in tiie course of 

 generations, and finally appears as innate. 



To convince ourselves of the admirable power of the animal 

 feeling ol duty, we need only destroy an ant-hill. There we at 

 once see in the n idst of destruction thousands of zealous state 

 citizens occupied not with the'salvalion of their own dear lives, 

 but with the protection of the cherished community to which they 

 belong. Courageous warriors of the ant state set themselves up 

 in powerful defence against our interfering finger ; those that 

 tend the young save the so-called "ants' eggs," the beloved 

 pupa;, upon which rests the future of the state ; diligent workers 

 at unce begin with undaunted courage to clear away the dedris, 

 and to construct new dwellings. The admirable organisation 

 of these ants, of bees and other social animals, have originally 

 developed from the crudest beginnings, just in the same manner 

 as did our own human civilisation. 



