Parkstone. Dorset.
March 8th 1898.
Prof. Oliver Lodge1
My dear Sir,
My own opinion has long been — and I have many times given reasons for it— that there is always an ample amount of variation in all directions to allow any useful modification to be produced, very rapidly, as compared with the note of those secular changes (climate & geography) which necessitate adaptation: — hence no guidance of variation in certain lines is necessary. For proof of this I would ask you to look at the diagnosis in Chap. III of my "Darwinism2", reading the explanations in the text. The proof of such constant indefinite variability has been much increased of late years, & if you consider that instead of tens or hundreds of individuals, Nature has as many as thousands or millions to be selected from, every year or two, it will be clear that the materials [2] for adaptation are ample.
Again, I believe that the time ever as limited by Lord Kelvin's , is ample, for reasons given in my Chapter X, — "On the Earth's Age" in my "Island Life,"3— and summed on p. 236. I therefore consider the difficulty set forth on p. 2. of the leaflet you send is not a real one.
To my mind, the development of plants and animals from low forms of each is fully explained by the variability proves to exist, with the actual rapid multiplication and natural selection. For this, no other intellectual agency is required. The real problem is to account— first, for the infinitely complex constitution of the material world and its forces which rendered living organisms possible; then the introduction of consciousness or sensation, which alone rendered the animal world possible, — lastly the presence in man of capacities and moral ideas & aspiration which could not, conceivably [3] be produced by variation & natural selection. This is stated at p. 473 — 8 of my Darwinism & is also referred to in the article I enclose (at p. 443- ) & which you need not return.
The subject is so large & complex that it is not to be wondered so many people still maintain the insufficiency of natural selection, without having really mastered the facts. I could not, therefore, answer your question without going in some detailed & giving references.
Believe me | Yours very truly | Alfred R. Wallace [signature].
Status: Draft transcription [Letter (WCP1706.1588)]
For more information about the transcriptions and metadata, see https://wallaceletters.myspecies.info/content/epsilon
[1] [p. 74]
TO SIR OLIVER LODGE
Parkstone, Dorset. March 8, 1898.
My dear Sir, — My own opinion has long been — and I have many times given reasons for it — that there is always an ample amount of variation in all directions to allow any useful modification to be produced, very rapidly, as compared with the rate of those secular changes (climate and geography) which necessitate adaptation; hence no guidance of variation in certain lines is necessary. For proof of this I would ask you to look at the diagrams in Chapter III. of [2] my "Darwinism," reading the explanation in the text. The proof of such constant indefinite variability has been much increased of late years, and if you consider that instead of tens or hundreds of individuals, Nature has as many thousands or millions to be selected from, every year or two, it will be clear that the materials for adaptation are ample.
Again, I believe that the time, even as limited by Lord Kelvin's calculations, is ample, for reasons given in Chapter X., "On the Earth's Age," in my "Island Life," and summed up on p. 236. I therefore consider the difficulty set forth on p. 2 of the leaflet you send is not a real one. To my mind, the development of plants and animals from low forms of each is fully explained by the variability proved to exist, with the actual rapid multiplication and Natural Selection. For this no other intellectual agency is required. The problem is to account for the infinitely complex constitution of the material world and its forces which rendered living organisms possible; then, the introduction of consciousness or sensation, which alone rendered the animal world possible; lastly, the presence in man of capacities and moral ideas and aspirations which could not conceivably he produced by variation and Natural Selection. This is stated at p. 473-8 of my "Darwinism," and is also referred to in the article I enclose (at p. 443) and which you need not return.
The subject is so large and complex that it is not to he wondered so many people still maintain the insufficiency of Natural Selection, without having really mastered the facts. I could not, therefore, answer your question without going into some detail and giving references.... — Believe me yours very truly, ALFRED B. WALLACE.
Status: Draft transcription [Published letter (WCP1706.6441)]
For more information about the transcriptions and metadata, see https://wallaceletters.myspecies.info/content/epsilon
Please cite as “WCP1706,” in Beccaloni, G. W. (ed.), Ɛpsilon: The Alfred Russel Wallace Collection accessed on 28 April 2024, https://epsilon.ac.uk/view/wallace/letters/WCP1706