The Relation of Science and Religion.pdf - Online Christian Library

MAN'S PLACE IN THE WORLD. 263enough, and it presents the most perplexingdifficulty for physiologists of the school ofHzckel; while it affords the strongest lineof evidence for that philosophy which accountsfor the higher characteristics of humanlife by reference to mind as distinct frombrain, and immeasurably higher in function.Whether Mr. Darwin's account of animalconduct will be uniformly accepted by naturalists,need not concern us, as the possibilityof dissension would not seriously affectthe argument, the main stress of whichmust fall on these two points, that the law ofpure benevolence is a law of human life, andthat the mere recognition of this law (I donot say obedience to it, which is a stage furtherin advance), can not be included within thefunctions of brain.*From what has 'been written by some naturalistsas to the " benevolence " of animals, itis probable that some may be prepared totake exception to the statement of Mr. Darwin.There is no need for here entering upondiscussion which might thus be raised, andwhich would entail the task of criticising mul-* Whether some of the animals may possess an inferior orderof mind, is a question which need not be here discussed.