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Transcriber's Note:
Minor typographical errors have been corrected without note.
All Greek words have mouse-hover transliterations, βιος,and appear as originally printed, except for two significanterrors as noted at the end of the text.
| PAGE | |
| Preface, | 5 |
| Introduction, | 21 |
| Biogenesis, | 59 |
| Degeneration, | 83 |
| Growth, | 99 |
| Death, | 111 |
| Mortification, | 133 |
| Eternal Life, | 149 |
| Environment, | 181 |
| Conformity to Type, | 203 |
| Semi-Parasitism, | 223 |
| Parasitism, | 237 |
| Classification, | 255 |
No class of works is received with more suspicion,I had almost said derision, than thosewhich deal with Science and Religion. Science istired of reconciliations between two things whichnever should have been contrasted; Religion isoffended by the patronage of an ally which it professesnot to need; and the critics have rightlydiscovered that, in most cases where Science iseither pitted against Religion or fused with it,there is some fatal misconception to begin with asto the scope and province of either. But althoughno initial protest, probably, will save this workfrom the unhappy reputation of its class, thethoughtful mind will perceive that the fact of itssubject-matter being Law—a property peculiarneither to Science nor to Religion—at once placesit on a somewhat different footing.
The real problem I have set myself may bestated in a sentence. Is there not reason to believethat many of the Laws of the Spiritual World,hitherto regarded as occupying an entirely separateprovince, are simply the Laws of the NaturalWorld? Can we identify the Natural Laws, orany one of them, in the Spiritual sphere? Thatvague lines everywhere run through the SpiritualWorld is already beginning to be recognized. Isit possible to link them with those great lines runningthrough the visible universe which we callthe Natural Laws, or are they fundamentally distinct?In a word, Is the Su