the origination of living beings-第1章

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The　Origination　of　Living　Beings


by　Thomas　H。　Huxley






In　the　two　preceding　lectures　I　have　endeavoured　to　indicate　to　you　the
extent　of　the　subject…matter　of　the　inquiry　upon　which　we　are　engaged；
and　now；　having　thus　acquired　some　conception　of　the　Past　and　Present
phenomena　of　Organic　Nature；　I　must　now　turn　to　that　which　constitutes
the　great　problem　which　we　have　set　before　ourselves；I　mean；　the
question　of　what　knowledge　we　have　of　the　causes　of　these　phenomena　of
organic　nature；　and　how　such　knowledge　is　obtainable。

Here；　on　the　threshold　of　the　inquiry；　an　objection　meets　us。　　There　are
in　the　world　a　number　of　extremely　worthy；　well…meaning　persons；　whose
judgments　and　opinions　are　entitled　to　the　utmost　respect　on　account　of
their　sincerity；　who　are　of　opinion　that　Vital　Phenomena；　and
especially　all　questions　relating　to　the　origin　of　vital　phenomena；　are
questions　quite　apart　from　the　ordinary　run　of　inquiry；　and　are；　by
their　very　nature；　placed　out　of　our　reach。　　They　say　that　all　these
phenomena　originated　miraculously；　or　in　some　way　totally　different　from
the　ordinary　course　of　nature；　and　that　therefore　they　conceive　it　to
be　futile；　not　to　say　presumptuous；　to　attempt　to　inquire　into　them。

To　such　sincere　and　earnest　persons；　I　would　only　say；　that　a　question
of　this　kind　is　not　to　be　shelved　upon　theoretical　or　speculative
grounds。　　You　may　remember　the　story　of　the　Sophist　who　demonstrated　to
Diogenes　in　the　most　complete　and　satisfactory　manner　that　he　could　not
walk；　that；　in　fact；　all　motion　was　an　impossibility；　and　that　Diogenes
refuted　him　by　simply　getting　up　and　walking　round　his　tub。　　So；　in　the
same　way；　the　man　of　science　replies　to　objections　of　this　kind；　by
simply　getting　up　and　walking　onward；　and　showing　what　science　has　done
and　is　doingby　pointing　to　that　immense　mass　of　facts　which　have　been
ascertained　and　systematized　under　the　forms　of　the　great　doctrines　of
Morphology；　of　Development；　of　Distribution；　and　the　like。　　He　sees　an
enormous　mass　of　facts　and　laws　relating　to　organic　beings；　which　stand
on　the　same　good　sound　foundation　as　every　other　natural　law；　and
therefore；　with　this　mass　of　facts　and　laws　before　us；　therefore；　seeing
that；　as　far　as　organic　matters　have　hitherto　been　accessible　and
studied；　they　have　shown　themselves　capable　of　yielding　to　scientific
investigation；　we　may　accept　this　as　proof　that　order　and　law　reign
there　as　well　as　in　the　rest　of　nature；　and　the　man　of　science　says
nothing　to　objectors　of　this　sort；　but　supposes　that　we　can　and　shall
walk　to　a　knowledge　of　the　origin　of　organic　nature；　in　the　same　way
that　we　have　walked　to　a　knowledge　of　the　laws　and　principles　of　the
inorganic　world。

But　there　are　objectors　who　say　the　same　from　ignorance　and　ill…will。
To　such　I　would　reply　that　the　objection　comes　ill　from　them；　and　that
the　real　presumption；　I　may　almost　say　the　real　blasphemy；　in　this
matter；　is　in　the　attempt　to　limit　that　inquiry　into　the　causes　of
phenomena　which　is　the　source　of　all　human　blessings；　and　from　which
has　sprung　all　human　prosperity　and　progress；　for；　after　all；　we　can
accomplish　comparatively　little；　the　limited　range　of　our　own　faculties
bounds　us　on　every　side；the　field　of　our　powers　of　observation　is
small　enough；　and　he　who　endeavours　to　narrow　the　sphere　of　our
inquiries　is　only　pursuing　a　course　that　is　likely　to　produce　the
greatest　harm　to　his　fellow…men。

But　now；　assuming；　as　we　all　do；　I　hope；　that　these　phenomena　are
properly　accessible　to　inquiry；　and　setting　out　upon　our　search　into
the　causes　of　the　phenomena　of　organic　nature；　or；　at　any　rate；　setting
out　to　discover　how　much　we　at　present　know　upon　these　abstruse
matters；　the　question　arises　as　to　what　is　to　be　our　course　of
proceeding；　and　what　method　we　must　lay　down　for　our　guidance。　　I　reply
to　that　question；　that　our　method　must　be　exactly　the　same　as　that
which　is　pursued　in　any　other　scientific　inquiry；　the　method　of
scientific　investigation　being　the　same　for　all　orders　of　facts　and
phenomena　whatsoever。

I　must　dwell　a　little　on　this　point；　for　I　wish　you　to　leave　this　room
with　a　very　clear　conviction　that　scientific　investigation　is　not；　as
many　people　seem　to　suppose；　some　kind　of　modern　black　art。　　I　say　that
you　might　easily　gather　this　impression　from　the　manner　in　which　many
persons　speak　of　scientific　inquiry；　or　talk　about　inductive　and
deductive　philosophy；　or　the　principles　of　the　〃Baconian　philosophy。〃　I
do　protest　that；　of　the　vast　number　of　cants　in　this　world；　there　are
none；　to　my　mind；　so　contemptible　as　the　pseudoscientific　cant　which　is
talked　about　the　〃Baconian　philosophy。〃

To　hear　people　talk　about　the　great　Chancellorand　a　very　great　man　he
certainly　was；you　would　think　that　it　was　he　who　had　invented
science；　and　that　there　was　no　such　thing　as　sound　reasoning　before　the
time　of　Queen　Elizabeth。　　Of　course　you　say；　that　cannot　possibly　be
true；　you　perceive；　on　a　moment's　reflection；　that　such　an　idea　is
absurdly　wrong；　and　yet；　so　firmly　rooted　is　this　sort　of
impression；I　cannot　call　it　an　idea；　or　conception；the　thing　is　too
absurd　to　be　entertained；but　so　completely　does　it　exist　at　the　bottom
of　most　men's　minds；　that　this　has　been　a　matter　of　observation　with　me
for　many　years　past。　　There　are　many　men　who；　though　knowing　absolutely
nothing　of　the　subject　with　which　they　may　be　dealing；　wish；
nevertheless；　to　damage　the　author　of　some　view　with　which　they　think
fit　to　disagree。　What　they　do；　then；　is　not　to　go　and　learn　something
about　the　subject；　which　one　would　naturally　think　the　best　way　of
fairly　dealing　with　it；　but　they　abuse　the　originator　of　the　view　they
question；　in　a　general　manner；　and　wind　up　by　saying　that；　〃After　all；
you　know；　the　principles　and　method　of　this　author　are　totally　opposed
to　the　canons　of　the　Baconian　philosophy。〃　　Then　everybody　applauds；　as
a　matter　of　course；　and　agrees　that　it　must　be　so。　But　if　you　were　to
stop　them　all　in　the　middle　of　their　applause；　you　would　probably　find
that　neither　the　speaker　nor　his　applauders　could　tell　you　how　or　in
what　way　it　was　so；　neither　the　one　nor　the　other　having　the　slightest
idea　of　what　they　mean　when　they　speak　of　the　〃Baconian　philosophy。〃

You　will　understand；　I　hope；　that　I　have　not　the　slightest　desire　to
join　in　the　outcry　against　either　the　morals；　the　intellect；　or　the
great　genius　of　Lord　Chancellor　Bacon。　　He　was　undoubtedly　a　very　great
man；　let　people　say　what　they　will　of　him；　but　notwithstanding　all　that
he　did　for　philosophy；　it　would　be　entirely　wrong　to　suppose　that　the
methods　of　modern　scientific　inquiry　originated　with　him；　or　with　his
age；　they　originated　with　the　first　man；　whoever　he　was；　and　indeed
existed　long　before　him；　for　many　of　the　essential　processes　of
reasoning　are　exerted　by　the　higher　order　of　brutes　as　completely　and
effectively　as　by　ourselves。　　We　see　in　many　of　the　brute　creation　the
exercise　of　one；　at　least；　of　the　same　powers　of　reasoning　as　that
which　we　ourselves　employ。

The　method　of　scientific　investigation　is　nothing　but　the　expression　of
the　necessary　mode　of　working　of　the　human　mind。　　It　is　simply　the　mode
at　which　all　phenomena　are　reasoned　about；　rendered　precise　and　exact。
There　is　no　more　difference；　but　there　is　just　the　same　kind　of
difference；　between　the　mental　operations　of　a　man　of　science　and　those
of　an　ordinary　person；　as　there　is　between　the　operations　and　methods
of　a　baker　or　of　a　butcher　weighing　out　his　goods　in　common　scales；　and
the　operations　of　a　chemist　in　performing　a　difficult　and　complex
analysis　by　means　of　his　balance　and　finely…graduated　weights。　　It　is
not　that　the　action　of　the　scales　in　the　one　case；　and　the　balance　in
the　other；　differ　in　the　principles　of　their　construction　or　manner　of
working；　but　the　beam　of　one　is　set　on　an　infinitely　finer　axis　than
the　other；　and　of　course　turns　by　the　addition　of　a　much　smaller
weight。

You　will　understand　this　better；　perhaps；　if　I　give　you　some　familiar
example。　　You　have　all　heard　it　repeated；　I　dare　say；　that　men　of
science　work　by　means　of　Induction　and　Deduction；　and