. Some salient points in the science of the earth [microform]. Geology; Paleontology; Géologie; Paléontologie. 482 MAN IN NATURE ⢠, -I. i'nl',;^^- that is, not in a domesticated or artificial condition, so that here nature is opposed to the devices of man. Then he speaks of species as "arising in nature," that is, spontaneously produced in the midst of certain external conditions or environment out- side of the organic world. A little farther on he speaks of use- ful varieties as given to man by " the hand of Nature," which here becomes an imaginary person ; and it is w
. Some salient points in the science of the earth [microform]. Geology; Paleontology; Géologie; Paléontologie. 482 MAN IN NATURE ⢠, -I. i'nl',;^^- that is, not in a domesticated or artificial condition, so that here nature is opposed to the devices of man. Then he speaks of species as "arising in nature," that is, spontaneously produced in the midst of certain external conditions or environment out- side of the organic world. A little farther on he speaks of use- ful varieties as given to man by " the hand of Nature," which here becomes an imaginary person ; and it is worthy of notice that in this place the printer or proof-reader has given the word an initial capital, as if a proper name. In the next section he speaks of the " works of Nature " as superior to those of art. Here the word is not only opposed to the artificial, but seems to imply some power above material things and comparable with or excelling the contriving intelligence of man. I do not mean by these examples to imply that Darwin is in this respect more inaccurate than other writers. On the contrary, he is greatly surpassed by many of his contemporaries in the varied and fantastic uses of this versatile word. An illustration which occurs to me here, as at once amusing and instructive, is an expression used by Romanes, one of the cleverest of the fol- lowers of the great evolutionist, and which appears to him to give a satisfactory explanation of the mystery of elevation in nature. He says, " Nature selects the best individuals out of each generation to ; Here nature must be an intelligent agent, or the statement is simply nonsensical. The same alter- native applies to much of the use of the favourite term " natural ; In short, those who use such modes of expressioi; would be more consistent if they were at once to come back lo the definition of Seneca, .hat nature is " a certain divine purpose manifested in the world,&qu
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