The Theories of Darwin and Their Relation to Philosophy, Religion, and MoralitySchmid, Rudolf
Religion
The Theories of Darwin and Their Relation to Philosophy, Religion, and Morality
Schmid, Rudolf
Evolution; Religion and science
Glaubens," in the March number of 1873, thinks that Carneri wishes to seek
on Darwinian ground a new and better basis for morality than we had
heretofore; while Haeckel in the preface to the third edition of his
"Natural History of Creation," page XXIX, mentions the publication of
Carneri with the greatest praise, earnestly recommends all theologians and
philosophers to read it, and greets it as the first successful attempt at
applying fruitfully the monistic view {240} of the world, as established by
Darwinism, to the realm of practical philosophy and at showing that the
immense progress of our knowledge of the world caused by the descent theory
has only the most beneficial effect upon the further progressing
development of mankind in practical life;--a criticism in the "Ausland" (8
April, 1872, No. 15), calls the same publication "an attempt at harmonizing
Darwin's hypothesis with the current views of ethics, and at showing that
those doctrines cannot be sustained which result as strictly logical
conclusions from Darwin's theory, and which are opposed to the present
views of morality."
In returning from this digression to Darwinism in its purest form, to
Darwin himself, we have in the first place to resume the discussion entered
upon as to the way and manner in which, according to Darwin,
self-determination is originated. Love and sympathy, moral feeling (with
this definition he seems to point at the consciousness of moral freedom of
will and of responsibility), and conscience, are to him very important
elements of morality; and in the moral disposition of man he sees the
greatest of all differences between man and animal. He also willingly
acknowledges the powerful impulse which morality has from religion, when he
says ("Descent of Man," Vol. II, page 347): "With the more civilized races,
the conviction of the existence of an all-seeing Deity has had a potent
influence on the advance of morality." From these and all his other
deductions, we see that Darwin in no way intends to modify the maxims of
moral action; and if under the expression "reform of morality," with which
we have headed the present chapter, we should understand but {241} a reform
of moral action itself, we should without hesitation have to rank Darwin
with the next group, and not with that of which we now treat; just as in
our review of the position of Darwinism in reference to the religious
question, we had to rank him with those who take a neutral and peaceful
position in reference to religion.
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