The Social Impacts of Science

Extract

The Influence of Modern Biology

Modern Biology may be said to date from the publication of Darwin’s great work which resulted in a general acceptance of the belief in Organic Evolution, for not only has the bulk of thought and work in the biological field since then been at the very least strongly influenced by the ideas which were then let loose to develop and breed in every sphere of human activity, but the theory itself has been the actual stimulus behind an unparalleled outburst of biological investigations.

It is therefore of the utmost importance that we are clear at the outset on two fundamental points : (i) that Charles Darwin was bv no means the first to propound a theory of Organic Evolution, the success of his effort being due to (a) the mass of argument which he produced in support of his particular theory of Evolution, and (b) the time at which he made known his views—a time which happened to be favourable for their acceptance; and (2) the actual title of the book which produced such momentous results. It was The Origin of Species by means of Natural Selection, or The Survival of the Fittest, and it was the suitability of the second title in particular which helped to make the theory so acceptable to the Liberal school of thought which was developing with the rise of industry and of wealthy industrialists concomitantly with the degradation of their employees to a status of virtual slavery. The theory was fortunate also in gaining as its fairy-godfather, T. H. Hiuxley, who not only made the idea of evolution acceptable to a vast number of readers and listeners, but who also introduced it into the fields of ethics and religion. In Germany, too, it found ardent supporters.