CAUSES OF SCIENTIFIC KNOWLEDGE 283

is necessarily relative and uncertain, affirms at the same time

that some of it is necessarily absolute and certain, and thus

plainly and explicitly contradicts himself. With a perception

of which fact the reader need not, we think, trouble himself

any further concerning the doctrine of the necessary relativity

of knowledge.

But is the special Darwinian view, which regards the forms

of the organic world as being the result of minute indefinite

variations acted on by the chance conflict of fortuitous in-

fluences of all kinds, one which really harmonizes with the

teaching of nature ?

The universe open to our ken gives us no positive evidence

of life elsewhere than in our planet. No doubt analogy

suggests that many other worlds are inhabited, and for our

own part we cannot doubt that such must be the case. Still,

from what astronomers teach us, it would seem that great

spaces in the heavens are destitute of animal or vegetable

life, and that the worlds which are destitute of it probably

predominate in number. Even in our solar system the

majority of its planets seem unfitted to be the abode of

living creatures.

When, from considerations of extent as regards space, we

turn to consider duration and ponder over the past history of

our own globe, it seems difficult to think that the vast series

of succeeding ages which have seen so many races of living

beings successively arise and perish, were not preceded by

even a vaster series during which the earth revolved a mere

mass of inorganic matter.

And even in our own day such inorganic matter forms an

enormously preponderating part of its total composition.

How small a film upon its surface would be formed were the

whole mass of creatures now living spread over it

Surely, then, when we begin to consider the universe known

to us, as its laws, as one whole, it becomes clear that the vastly

is necessarily relative and uncertain, affirms at the same time

that some of it is necessarily absolute and certain, and thus

plainly and explicitly contradicts himself. With a perception

of which fact the reader need not, we think, trouble himself

any further concerning the doctrine of the necessary relativity

of knowledge.

But is the special Darwinian view, which regards the forms

of the organic world as being the result of minute indefinite

variations acted on by the chance conflict of fortuitous in-

fluences of all kinds, one which really harmonizes with the

teaching of nature ?

The universe open to our ken gives us no positive evidence

of life elsewhere than in our planet. No doubt analogy

suggests that many other worlds are inhabited, and for our

own part we cannot doubt that such must be the case. Still,

from what astronomers teach us, it would seem that great

spaces in the heavens are destitute of animal or vegetable

life, and that the worlds which are destitute of it probably

predominate in number. Even in our solar system the

majority of its planets seem unfitted to be the abode of

living creatures.

When, from considerations of extent as regards space, we

turn to consider duration and ponder over the past history of

our own globe, it seems difficult to think that the vast series

of succeeding ages which have seen so many races of living

beings successively arise and perish, were not preceded by

even a vaster series during which the earth revolved a mere

mass of inorganic matter.

And even in our own day such inorganic matter forms an

enormously preponderating part of its total composition.

How small a film upon its surface would be formed were the

whole mass of creatures now living spread over it

Surely, then, when we begin to consider the universe known

to us, as its laws, as one whole, it becomes clear that the vastly