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6 THE WORLD OF LIFE CHAP.
"The development of the universe is a monistic mechanical
process, in which we discover no aim or purpose whatever ; what
we call design in the organic world is a special result of biological
agencies ; neither in the evolution of the heavenly bodies, nor in
that of the crust of the earth do we find any trace of a controlling
purpose all is the result of chance."
Then, after discussing what is meant by chance, he
concludes :
" That, however, does not prevent us from recognising in each
'
chance '
event, as we do in the evolution of the entire cosmos, the
universal sovereignty of nature's supreme law, the law of substance "
(P- 97)-
Again, he defines his position still more frankly :
" Atheism affirms that there are no gods or goddesses, assuming
that god means a personal, extra-mundane entity. This 'godless world-
system '
substantially agrees with the monism or pantheism of the
modern scientist. It is only another expression for it, emphasising
its negative aspect, the non-existence of any supernatural deity"
(p. 103).
These vague and often incomprehensible assertions are
interspersed with others equally unprovable, and often
worded so as to be very offensive to religious minds.
After having put forth a host of assertions as to a possible
future state, which exhibit a deplorable ignorance of the
views of many advanced thinkers in all the Churches, he says :
" Our own ' human nature '
which exalted itself into an image
of God in an anthropistic illusion, sinks to the level of a placental
mammal, which has no more value for the universe at large than
the ant, the fly of a summer's day, the microscopic infusorium, or
the smallest bacillus. Humanity is but a transitory phase of the
evolution of an eternal substance, a particular phenomenal form of
matter and energy, the true proportion of which we soon perceive
when we set it on the background of infinite space and eternal time "
(P- 87).
The writings of Haeckel, the extremely dogmatic and
assertive character of which have been illustrated in the
preceding quotations, have had an immense influence on
many classes of readers, who, when a man becomes widely
known as a great authority in any department of science,
accept him as a safe guide in any other departments on