The Monist, Vol. 1, 1890-1891 : $b A quarterly magazine — John Shaqi
The Monist, Vol. 1, 1890-1891 : $b A quarterly magazineVarious
Philosophy
The Monist, Vol. 1, 1890-1891 : $b A quarterly magazine
Various
Philosophy -- Periodicals
does obtain, to what category does the principle belong?
Clearly it does not belong to natural selection, inasmuch
as a mere failure to impress individual characters on the
next generation is not a matter of life and death in the
struggle for existence. But, no less clearly, it does belong
to physiological selection; and therefore, if it be an active
principle in nature, it is an additional cause of segregate
fecundity in first crosses. Moreover, such a principle, if
it ever acts, presupposes some considerable degree of sexual
differentiation as already given by some other cause.
Having thus endeavored to make it as clear as I can, that the causes of
segregate fecundity, both in its origin and subsequent "increase," must
be causes acting on the physiology of the segregating forms themselves,
and not the effects of these causes in the character of their mongrel
offspring; I must next comment upon the extraordinary idea which
underlies the whole of Mr. Wallace's exposition, and which in one place
he expressly states. This extraordinary idea is that the theory of
physiological selection, as held both by Mr. Gulick and myself, takes
no cognizance of the possible effects of cross-sterility in leading
to infertility or inferiority on the part of mongrel progeny. I call
this an extraordinary idea, because it appears to me most extraordinary
that Mr. Wallace can have read our papers, and then have supposed that
he was adding anything to our theory by arguing the points which he
does argue in the above quotation. When once this argument is correctly
stated, it amounts, as we have just seen, to nothing more than pointing
out how a segregate fecundity of first crosses will have a better
chance of increasing, if the mongrel progeny are infertile or inferior.
But surely this goes without saying; or, if it be said, let it be added
that physiological selection, when it thus extends to second crosses,
is really or ultimately due to physiological selection as regards the
first crosses. If the segregate fecundity of the first crosses is of
such a kind, that, besides tending to a physiological isolation of the
parent forms, it leads to inferiority of the mongrel progeny; this is
merely a further expression of the segregate fecundity in question.
Its effect is that of so far extinguishing the influence of progeny in
the subsequent history of parental segregation: therefore, its effect
is just the same as if, owing to a somewhat higher degree of segregate
fertility in the first instance (i. e., in the first crosses), a
proportionately smaller number of mongrel offspring had been produced
at all. In either case the result (physiological differentiation) is
equally due to causes acting on the sexual system of the parent forms;
and whether this effect is brought about by a suppression of progeny
as to their numbers alone, or likewise as to their efficiency, is
quite immaterial to the theory of physiological selection. Which shows
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