156 THE FALLACIES OP NATURAL SELECTION. 



possible under the circumstances, obtains with these 

 elect; or, in other words, that the less degenerate and 

 the less injuriously modified individuals survive, whilst 

 the more degenerate and the more injuriously modified 

 individuals succumb. Given, the absence of all knowl- 

 edge of the nature of the conditions of life under 

 nature, the selection of " the stronger and more vigor- 

 ous " implies merely, that these hold their own. Given, 

 that knowledge of the conditions, which Darwin com- 

 municates " to the reader, in his descriptions of the 

 Struggle for Existence, the selection of "the stronger 

 and more vigorous" implies that the "stronger and 

 more vigorous " merely yield the least, to the effect of 

 such adverse conditions. 



Owing to the ingenious manner, in which Darwin 

 has availed himself of the presumption of advance in 

 development, from the fact of Selection, without form- 

 ulating such presumption in set and explicit terms ; it 

 is open, to him, to deny that he has attempted to 

 prove that increments of development must generally 

 result from the selection of "the stronger and more 

 vigorous." The main part of the strength with which 

 his theory of Natural Selection is credited, however, is 

 due to the belief, on the part of his readers, that the 

 selection of "the stronger and more vigorous" does 

 imply advance in development; and to the belief that 

 Darwin so contends. Darwin, himself, unquestionably 

 counts throughout, for support to his theory, upon 

 this impression, so subtly conveyed by his handling 

 of the question. It is true, that, with respect to the 

 variations, which, he confesses, are gratuitously assumed 



