CHAPTER X 



ORIGIN OF ORGANIC FORMS 



We came to the conclusion in our last chapter that 

 every thinking man, who turns his attention to the 

 phenomena of organic Nature, and still more so the 

 naturalist, who studies them more thoroughly, becomes 

 convinced that the organic world as a whole, as also 

 in its several parts, is marked by one common char- 

 acteristic which we try to express by the words 

 perfection, harmony, etc. This conviction in its turn 

 is succeeded by the involuntary desire, the irresistible 

 demand for an explanation of this most salient feature of 

 living beings. Formerly, on reaching this stage in his 

 investigations of Nature, the naturalist considered his 

 course had come to an end. He accepted this fact 

 of the perfection and harmony as a primary, an elemen- 

 tary phenomenon, beyond the reach of further scientific 

 analysis ; and according to the particular turn of his mind 

 he either fell into silence, or gave vent to enthusiastic 

 effusions on this gratifying theme. But besides this 

 preponderating opinion some courageous pioneers in 

 the domain of science ever and anon gave voice to the 

 demand that this general characteristic of organic 

 forms should be treated in the same way as particular 

 phenomena, i.e. that, not satisfied with the simple 

 statement of the fact, science should try to explain it in 

 a more rational way, should treat it as a particular case 

 depending upon other more general laws ; that, not 

 resting satisfied with the empirical knowledge that such 

 is the case, science should strive towards the deductive 

 conclusion, that such must be the case. What can 



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