The Philosophy of Evolution
by Benjamin Thompson Lowne (9781150170980)

General Books publication date: 2009 Original publication date: 1873 Original Publisher: John Van Voorst Subjects: Evolution Philosophy of nature Philosophy / General Science / Life Sciences / Evolution Notes: This is a black and white OCR reprint of the original. It has no illustrations and there may be typos or missing text. When you buy the General Books edition of this book you get free trial access to Million-Books.com where you can select from more than a million books for free. Excerpt: 6 SPECIAL CREATION THEORY. CHAPTER II. THE NATURE OP THE EVIDENCE WHICH CAN BE ADDUCED IN SUPPORT OP EVOLUTION. Before passing to the consideration of the evidence of Evolution, it will be well to consider the nature of the evidence which can be adduced. When the details of the hypothesis are under consideration, it will be found that evidence of modification under existing influences is abundant, and that the inference that such changes have a wider scope of action is the only inference which is not supported by direct observation. The inference that such changes have taken place in the cases to which they have been extended by the hypothesis is borne out by its explaining a vast number of complicated phenomena. These phenomena are inexplicable on the other received theory (that of special creations); or they are thought to be explained by the addition of hypotheses which are not the result of inference from known facts, but which are merely known facts stated in other words, or generalizations of the facts themselves. For instance, it is said that rudimentary organs exist in conformity to a type; THE JUSTIFICATION OF AN INFERENCE. 7 and this is only a generalization and not an explanation of the facts. It is merely the restatement of the existence of rudimentary organs in other words. It is often said that we are not justified in receiving an inference as true because it explains a large number of facts. Let us examine how far this is the case. Suppose an in...

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