CHAPTER V 



THE THEORY OF NATURAL SELECTION {Continued) 

 Objections to the Theory of Natural Selection 



Although in the preceding chapter a number of criticisms 

 have been made of the special parts of the theory of natural 

 selection, there still remain to be considered some further 

 objections that have been made since the first publication of 

 the theory. It is a fortunate circumstance from every point 

 of view that Darwin himself was able in the later editions of 

 the " Origin of Species " to reply to those criticisms that he 

 thought of sufficient importance. He says: — 



" Long before the reader has arrived at this part of my 

 work, a crowd of difficulties will have occurred to him. Some 

 of them are so serious that to this day I can hardly reflect on 

 them without being in some degree staggered ; but, to the 

 best of my judgment, the greater number are only apparent, 

 and those that are real are not, I think, fatal to the theory." 



The first difficulty is this : " Why, if species have descended 

 from other species by fine gradations, do we not everywhere 

 see innumerable transitional forms ? Why is not all nature 

 in confusion, instead of the species being, as we see them, 

 well defined ? " 



The answer that Darwin gives is, that by competition the 

 new form will crowd out its own less-improved parent form, 

 and other less-favored forms. But is this a sufficient or satis- 

 factory answer ? If we recall what Darwin has said on the 

 advantage that those forms will have, in which a great num- 

 ber of new variations appear to fit them to the great diversity 

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