August 1925
TH E K I N G ’S B U S I N E S S
348
i r Satan’sTriangle: Evolution, Philosophy, Criticism S. J. Bole, P rofessor of Biology, W heaton College, Illinois
Those Christians who w ish to be able to speak intelligently concerning th e theory of evolution w ill b e glad to know th a t it is intended to publish th is series of articles by P rofessor Bole in pam phlet form , fo r w ide distribution. The evolutionists are fond of saying “A ll Scientists believe in th e evolutionary theory,” b u t h ere is a scientist who most assuredly does n o t believe it, and th e re are many others -
to us, is a fact. And such a fact involves in Itself two correlative certainties; the certainty of objects no t our selves which cause these appearances; and the certainty of a subject, which is our self, in whom these appearances are caused.” (The A B C of Philosophy, p. 35.) II. F orce o r Energy The old Greeks included motion as well as m atter in th eir thinking. Their explanation of the movement of atoms was th e ir “ eternal falling through infinite space.” They believed th a t thè falling of heavier atoms, upon ligh ter ones, pro duced iateral and whirling movements, “ out of which emerge the worlds.” They reasoned in a circle, for they said th a t the cause of motion is other motion. To locate th e cause of motion outside the atom s them selves, scientists in modern times have assumed an ocean of eth er in which and by which the atoms are moved. This only pushes the explanation one step fu rth e r back. We see th a t motion like m atter possesses rhythm and law, b u t what it is and from whence it came is a mystery. In th is second problem, th a t of motion, we are brought as we were in the first problem , th a t of m atter, to th e lim it of our m ental horizon. This hypothetical eth er which fills all space is said to be “ highly refined and sublimated, perfectly ductile, mobile, continuous and elastic, not made up of atoms or particles of any k ind .” The hum an mind cannot follow th is hypothe sis. One can’t conceive of a substance w ithout p arts or to be so refined as to perm it the movement of heavenly bodies through it w ithou t friction. Scientists do not tell us how th e motion in th e eth er began. Thus we are led to see th a t w ithout a belief in God m atter and motion are both veiled in mystery. Dr. Joseph M cFarland’s conclusions on these problems are very sane. He w rites as follows: “All th e demonstrations of physics arrive at one conclu sion: th a t the universe consists of m a tte r th a t is inde structible, controlled by forces th a t are persistent. Beyond this it is not in the power of th e hum an intellect to pen etrate. "W e know nothing and probably never can know any th ing of th e origin of m a tte r or force, and are obliged to content ourselves) as our antecedents have done, w ith the knowledge th a t both exist,' and th a t we can only recognize the existence of force as it influences m atter, and only know m a tte r as it is affected by force.” (Biology, General and Medical, p. 17) III. The Mind of Man The mind or soul is th a t p art of our being th a t remains unchanged from day to day and from year to year. I t is th a t p a rt of us th a t enables us to know th a t we are the same person not only from week to week bu t from infancy to old age. ■ A ristotle called psychology a “treatise concerning the soul,” bu t since then the content of psychology has been greatly changed. W ith Hume and K ant, “ the noumenal mind disappeared, leaving only phenomenal consciousness.” Still more recently psychology has become a mere study of behaviour. These changes are expressed in a half-serious, half-joking way by Woodworth as follows: “F irs t psychol-
Chapter 4 SOME PROBLEMS OF EVOLUTION I. M atter H ejtjn order th a t we may th ink th rough the subject of H I evolution w e must first solve certain problems. ¡stA Who made the earth and hung it in space? Who as* wound up the forces of n atu re th a t we m ight have mechanical motion, light, heat, sound, and electricity? W hat is m atter and w hat is m ind? Are they separate.o r are they one or are they different aspects of the same thing? W hat are tim e and space? Are they mere creations of the m ind or are they eternal realities? Does a ration al human being have the power o f choice or is th e re a fixed fate which decides all? Is there design or theology in our world and life or do events ju st happen? Are we living in a uni verse of law or chance? These are some of th e questions th a t we must decide either by reason or faith before we can fully understand the subject of organic evolution. Here is a piece of g ran ite or a clover blossom. W hat are they? From whence did they come? Did they have a begin ning or are they etern al? We say th a t they are m atter. But-what is m atter? W hat is the clover blossom? Philoso phy tells us th a t if we take away th e cognizing mind, the size, shape, color, and fragrance of the flower will disappear. The something th a t rem ains is “ unknown and unknow able.” Dr. Griffith Thomas states th a t, “All things which unfold themselves to our senses have m a tte r as th e ground out of which they unfold themselves.” Accordingly we may define m atter as th a t something out of which all things come to the cognizing mind. This m aterial background of m a tte r is th e “monad” of Leibnitz, the “ reality ” of H erb art, th e “mona” of Noire, the “ inorganic m a tte r” of Haeckel, the “ etern ity ” of Carlyle, and the “ atom ” and “ electron” of more recent times. We must keep in mind th a t the atom or electron of the physic ist is b u t a metaphysical conception. One can not see or touch electrons. There are millions of atoms in a drop of w ater, and thousands of ions in every atom. The existence of atom s and ions are assumed as an hypothetical expla nation of m atter. As knowledge has progressed, th é known elements of m atter have increased in numbers and complexity. From the “ a ir” of Anaximenes to th e “ fire, earth , air, and w ater” of Empedocles we have advanced to the ninety-two chemical elements of the present. One of these chemical elements may be changed into another, bu t th e re is always a loss and not a gain in the change. Because m atter is a hypothetical something, a theory, certain philosophers have been led to doubt th e reality of the external world. Their claim is th a t all of our percep tions are illusions. M atter to them is the influence of “ cen ters of electrical charges” on our sense organs. “This newer theory,” of which we shall speak later, “makes m a tte r to consist of non-m atter in motion.” • Concerning the reality of m atter, Dr. Griffith Thomas states, “th a t we know not and never can know, w hat things th ere are beyond the sphere of sense; bu t it is not tru e th a t we cannot know th a t such things th ere are. For, th a t certain things do appear
Made with FlippingBook - Online magazine maker