12 WHAT IS DARWINISM 1 ? 



them. Mr. Spencer postulates neither mind 

 nor matter. He begins with Force. Force, 

 however, is itself perfectly inscrutable. All we 

 know about it is, that it is, that it is inde- 

 structible, and that it is persistent. 



As to the origin of the universe, he says 

 there are three possible suppositions : 1st. 

 That it is self-existent. 2d. That it is self- 

 created. 3d. That it is created by an exter- 

 nal agency. 1 All these he examines and re- 

 jects. The first is equivalent to Atheism, by 

 which Spencer understands the doctrine which 

 makes Space, Matter, and Force eternal and the 

 causes of all phenomena. This, he says, assumes 

 the idea of self-existence, which is unthinkable. 

 The second theory he makes equivalent to 

 Pantheism. " The precipitation of vapor," 

 he says, " into cloud, aids us in forming a sym- 

 bolic conception of a self-evolved universe ; " 

 but, he adds, " really to conceive self-creation, 

 is to conceive potential existence passing into 

 actual existence by some inherent necessity, 

 which we cannot do." (p. 32). The Theistic 

 theory, he says, is equally untenable. " Who- 

 ever agrees that the atheistic hypothesis is 



1 First Principles of a New System of Philosophy. By Herbert 

 Spencer. Second edition. New York, 1869, p. 30. 



