At the Deathbed of Darwinism: A Series of PapersDennert, Eberhard
Philosophy
At the Deathbed of Darwinism: A Series of Papers
Dennert, Eberhard
Evolution; Natural selection
The rising generation is now discovering what discerning scholars had
already recognized and stated a quarter of a century ago. They are also
returning to a study of the older opponents of Darwinism, especially of
Wigand. It is only now, many years after his death, that a tribute has
been paid to this distinguished savant which unfortunately was
grudgingly withheld during his life. One day recently there was laid
before his monument in the Botanical Garden of Marburg a laurel-wreath
with the inscription: "To the great naturalist, philosopher and man."
It came from a young zoologist at Vienna who had thoroughly mastered
Wigand's great anti-Darwinian work, an intelligent investigator who had
set to work in the spirit of Wigand. Another talented zoologist, Hans
Driesch, dedicates to the memory of Wigand two books in rapid
succession and reprehends the contemporaries of that master of science
for ignoring him. O. Hammann abandons Darwinism for an internal
principle of development. W. Haacke openly disavows Darwinism; and even
at the convention of naturalists in 1897, L. Wilser was allowed to
assert without contradiction that, "anyone who has committed himself to
Darwinism can no longer be ranked as a naturalist."
These are all signs which clearly indicate a radical revolution, and
they are all the more significant since it is the younger generation,
which will soon take the lead, that thinks and speaks in this manner.
But it is none the less noteworthy that the younger naturalists are not
alone in this movement. Many of the older men of science are swelling
the current. We shall recall here only the greatest of those whom we
might mention in this connection.
Julius von Sachs, the most gifted and brilliant botanist of the last
century, who unfortunately is no longer among us, was in the sixties an
outspoken Darwinian, as is evident especially from his History of
Botany and from the first edition of his Handbook of Botany. Soon,
however, Sachs began to incline toward the position assumed by Naegeli;
and as early as 1877, Wigand, in the third volume of his great work,
expressed the hope that Sachs would withdraw still further from
Darwinism. As years went by, Sachs drifted more and more from his
earlier position, and Wigand was of opinion that to himself should be
ascribed the credit of bringing about the change. During his last years
Sachs had become bitterly opposed to Darwinism, and in his masterly
"Physiological Notes" he took a firm stand on the "internal factors of
evolution."
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account