The Monistic Philosophy--Its utter lack of a scientific basis--Contradicted by the ideas of morality and truth--Not really adopted by Monists themselves 126-139 CHAPTER XIV ORGANIC EVOLUTION "Evolution" now to be considered in its most restricted signification--Organic Evolution, or "Transformism," not identical with Darwinism--The nature of the questions before us 140-148 CHAPTER XV DARWINISM Though no essential part of our enquiry, Darwinism must be studied on account of importance ascribed to it--Baseless claims on its behalf--True character of the system--Natural Selection and its mode of action--Phenomena which seem to favour Darwinism--Difficulties on the other side--Limits of Variation--Specific stability--Adverse probabilities--Natural selection can produce nothing--Transitional developments useless or harmful--Artistic ornaments unexplained--Flaws in argument--Organic progress--Rudimentary Organs--Embryology--Scientific opinion as to Darwinism 149-203 CHAPTER XVI THE FACTS OF EVOLUTION Palæontology furnishes the only sound basis for argument--The nature of the evidence required--The history of Life as known to us is inconsistent with evolutionary theories--Haeckel's "ante-periods"--Conclusion to which facts point 204-238 CHAPTER XVII "AUDI ALTERAM PARTEM" Arguments on behalf of Evolution--The genealogy of the Horse--Haeckel's Pedigree of Man--Darwin's plea of imperfection of the geological record--No evolutionary process is yet demonstrated; Still less has anything been done to establish Evolution as a creative force 239-269 CHAPTER XVIII TO SUM UP Reason leads to conclusions which physical science cannot reach--The recognition of a First Cause beyond the Sensible Universe an intellectual necessity--Knowledge of this cause attainable by reason--Conclusion 270-280 APPENDICES A. Recent Scientific Verdicts concerning Darwinism and Transformism 281 B. Development of Plant life--the _Cycadofilices_ 284 C. The Course of Evolution 285 D. The pedigree of the Horse: further evidence 286 INDEX 289 FOOTNOTES I TO BEGIN AT THE BEGINNING