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SCIENCE 



[N. S. Vol. XLVII. No. 1224 



changed from that of a being, recently 

 created and awaiting a day of judgment in 

 the not distant future, to that of a being 

 originating as part of organic nature and 

 set in a universe without beginning and 

 v/ithout end. The by-product of this intel- 

 lectual revolution was an emancipation of 

 the human spirit from the bonds of author- 

 ity. Authority indeed remained, but no 

 longer that of book or pope. In its place 

 came the authority of nature ; and so great 

 was the change we have not yet recognized 

 its full significance. 



While we can the better visualize the ef- 

 fects of evolutionary doctrine by thus go- 

 ing back several centuries, it is equally im- 

 portant to recognize what is happening 

 to-day, how this doctrine has affected theo- 

 logical belief since the year 1859, what has 

 happened in philosophy, and what changes 

 have occurred in our outlook upon the 

 problems of society. 



In theology, the evolutionary doctrine is 

 carrying us from the concept of a single 

 religion, revealed to man by agents duly 

 inspired, to a multitude of religions of 

 varying worthiness, but all the outgrowth 

 of yearnings which originated with human 

 intelligence. We need not condone the 

 shortcomings of the fathers nor strive for 

 theological explanations of sin and death, 

 of sorrow and pain since these are the not 

 unnatural incidents of our evolution. We 

 know in part wfhence we came, if not 

 whither we are going, and it is enough if 

 we may by our own efforts somewhat im- 

 prove the material and spiritual state of 

 ourselves and our children. This new 

 viewpoint has been reached not by a sudden 

 break with the past, but by a gradual shift 

 of mental attitude which makes the older 

 doctrines impossible of acceptance. We 

 have applied the evolutionary concept to 

 religion, as to every other expression of 



organic nature ; and the result has been a 

 revolution, accomplished before its begin- 

 nings were recognized. Thus science has 

 brought emancipation from theological 

 bondage and set free the spirit of man for 

 higher flights in the future. 



In philosophy, the evolutionary theory 

 has necessitated the change from a static 

 to a dynamic universe, as witness the con- 

 trast between the philosophical sj'stems of 

 the early nineteenth century and the views 

 of Bergson. This change has not yet com- 

 pleted its remodeling of philosophical theo- 

 ries, but only a philosopher can explain its 

 workings. 



In the field of social phenomena, we see 

 the influence of the evolutionary theory 

 through the recurrent questioning of the 

 necessity for existing conditions. If the 

 revolutions of the eighteenth century at- 

 tacked the foundations of civic power and 

 sought to install the authority of peoples 

 over that of kings, the revolution induced 

 by the evolutionary theory has shaken the 

 whole edifice of social tradition. Whatever 

 is may be the natural outcome of the evo- 

 lution of society to date, but it is not 

 thereby right nor is it necessarily perma- 

 nent. We may, as evolutionists, recognize 

 the stability of social customs, which have 

 arisen by evolution ; but we also recognize 

 these customs as subject to change. More- 

 over, we must consider the intelligent di- 

 rection of our future evolution as a possi- 

 bility, however remote. Evolution has not 

 always taken the most desirable course, as 

 witness the degeneration incident to para- 

 sitism; and while we shall probably have 

 little to do with its outcome in the human 

 species, what we may do is worth consider- 

 ing. Germany has evolved a social organi- 

 zation threatening the ideals which domi- 

 nate the majority of western nations, in 

 challenging which we are striving to direct 



