BIOLOGY AND POLITICS.

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 716, 15 January 1910, Page 13

BIOLOGY AND POLITICS.

■ SPENCEK: U3CTTJEE ; : AT:.OXF6rD;" 6. C. Bourno.-Linacre Professor of Comparative Anatomy;in-, the University ;of Oxford," delivered;the--Herbert Spencer lecture in the University, Museum on-De-cember 2.,; The • y ice-Chancellor; presided, and- there, was.:a'';large attendance.; vThe subject'of the; lebture.lwas. "Herbert; Spencer and /Evolution," and-the pro-' iessor commenced .by reminding his,'audi;enco, that tho'theory.'of..ahimaLevolution ;was.as-bld ; as Aristotle.V ;;;..';.

- - The theory; of organic,; evolution jwas' maintained .by a hot inconsiderable, num'ber of thinkers in'-the '30 years preceding the-publication of .'.Darwin's'-. "Origin:; of Species,".'and,.in! England Herbert fSpen-' cer was. the. chief .exponent .of the theory. It -formed an integral part .of! hia system' of- synthetic jphilosophy,;:the.purpose of which: was : to. explain ;the; course.:; oforganic nature by reference, to the laws of inorganic "nature,: and; in turn.;to deduce' laws for : the guidance;of human affairs from the. biological principles: discovered by this method, v .;.';•: -:^;:: ! : ; : ' -'■'■/•'■.i:'-' ,' Though Spencer did'; not contributo new facts, ho. contributed.: new'and important ideas to biological: science.. '■■' -'Among the most.; important of' these ideas' was his. conception of "physiological units" as the' basis of all. living;matter., - -,'■'.-.; ;"•'•-■.■.■'■'■:-.■;. '-.- If 'Herbert. Spencer's, principles .of bio-logy-..aro discovered to be ■ erroneous . ; in some important partioulars; he was. right tothis extent: that; he .pointed; out; to US : that mankind, so far'as his physiblogicar ohafaoters are : .concerned;. is,' in-' exorably subject; to the same fundamental laws of. existence. as : . are animals.;, Some of the', most important of human "institu-tions-are intimately connected' with these fundamental • physiological;-: laws, , more ;cspeciai!y.\ the: laws or.'.reproduction, ;inheritahpe,' and variation. Xf. wo'attompt, to'-vary these institutions. with-tho intention of improving existing;social conditions; and securing'the', progress of our race, it is imperative that the' fundahien-' tallaws should bo clearly -understood.' .;'■.' : It is sometimes said that OTolutionary principles could not bo: applied to "social questions;; He submitted that; in;a measure,; they- must "be... Further, that; logical principles, actually aro being-.'ap-plied, consciously;, or unconsciously,: by our legislator's';.but :they were tho.prin-. ciplcs.of .50 years'ago,.and,not those; of to-day. He was not the; first to: call ationtion to the, fact that muchthat passes current as "progress" is "really , regress, for it was founded on: mistaken conceptions'of the. operations of, Nature ' In"' 'conclusion,'' Professor 'Boiirno; expresscjl the hope that, hohad'ehbwn that biologi-; ;cal studies bad a htiman interest'and a c human application.. They were : not easy studies, and, few: took; interest, in them, but he claimed, their, importance; in the elucidation of social qnestions' and their right to' recognition and, respect ■'. at the ;hands of all educated,persons. That claim, was not fully recognised, but 'reas. urged' to tho ond of bis days by. Herbert Spencer,