CHAPTER I.

ARE THERE LAWS OF HEREDITY?

I.

SCIENCE begins only with the investigation of laws. All that precedes has one only object, to prepare the way for this investigation. Unless we hoped that out of the mass of facts drawn from animal and human psychology, from pathology and history, some fixed and certain rule would arise, our store of materials were valueless, a mere collection of curious anecdotes, which would afford the mind nothing like true science. We believe that the facts we have cited are not to be thus lightly esteemed. It is the privilege of the experimental method-which is so often charged with creeping on the ground, with being tied down to facts, and restricted within narrow boundaries without a horizon-to reveal to us what is universal, to exhibit to us laws in facts, and to demonstrate for us the seeming paradox, that in the world for the scientific mind there are no facts, but only laws.

If we take any simple fact of the inorganic world—a stone, a liquescent gas, a falling drop of water-and consider these phenomena, as do people in general, with the eyes and not with the mind, they will be a complete reality, and whatever is not visible and tangible will be but a vain abstraction. But science analyzes these facts into laws of gravity, heat, molecular attraction, affinity, etc., secondary laws which may themselves be referred to more general laws and, perceiving that these laws are found everywhere in the organic world, science concludes that they it is that are real. Group these laws, and we have facts; group different kinds of laws, and we have different kinds of facts. It follows that to know a fact thoroughly is to know the quality and the quantity of the laws which compose it, to know that a given fact is resolvable into given laws of heat, gravity, etc., and into a given amount of heat,

gravitation, etc. But in this analysis the fact has crumbled away, vanished, ceased to be, and has left in its stead nothing but a group of laws.

If we take a biological fact, a flowering plant, a respiratory animal, there again we find only a sum of laws. First, there are the laws of inorganic matter; and, indeed, if we reduce life to pure mechanism, there are no others. But if, on the contrary, we hold that physics and chemistry fail to explain life in its entirety, we bring in other laws, those governing assimilation, disintegration, generation, and all the vital processes; and although we have as yet no precise knowledge of these laws, we do not doubt that they exist.

So, too, with the moral world. A passion, a poem, a historical event, a revolution, result from the grouping of an almost infinite number of laws. For, beyond the physical and biologic laws which they presuppose, they imply also psychological, economical, and social laws. The simplest moral fact presents such a complication, such a tangle of laws, themselves but ill-understood, that many men, unable to recognize them, have chosen rather to deny them. But each new advance of science discredits this solution; and, although it is possible that beyond this general reference to law there may exist something which is not subject to it, still we may affirm that every fact, considered as such, is a grouping of laws.

Let us suppose all the facts of the physical and moral universe reduced to a thousand secondary laws, and these to a dozen primitive laws, which are the final and irreducible elements of the world; let us represent each by a thread of peculiar colour, itself formed of a collection of finer threads; a superior force—God, Nature, Chance, it matters not what-is ever weaving, knotting and unknotting these, and transforming them into various patterns. To the ordinary mind there is nothing besides these knots and these patterns; for it these are the only reality—beyond them it knows nothing, suspects nothing. But the man of science sets to work: he unties the knots, unravels the patterns, and shows that all the reality is in the threads. Then the antagonism between fact and law disappears; facts are but a synthesis of laws, laws an analysis of facts.

Thus a scientific idea of the world is formed. The experimental method appeared to be imprisoned in the raw material of the fact, when all at once its range of vision is enlarged, its horizon recedes almost immeasurably, to that mysterious limit where the world of laws comes to an end; observation attains to the universal, and experience gains the almost idealistic conclusion that facts are but appearances, laws the reality.

II.

We must now inquire whether, among the many threads the interweaving of which constitutes the facts we have cited, any one is common to this entire group. To speak more clearly, the question is whether heredity is a law of the moral world, or whether the many instances already quoted are only isolated cases resulting. from the fortuitous concurrence of other laws.

It may be surprising why, after what has been already said, the question is now raised. But the perfect indifference of most psychologists with regard to heredity would seem to show that they do not recognize in it a psychical law. The doctrines of those physiologists who have bestowed more attention on the subject are by no means harmonious on this point, and many of them have roundly denied moral heredity. It is, therefore, important that the question should be studied. To speak frankly, the objections brought against psychological heredity do not appear to be very formidable; they would, indeed, be often. inexplicable, did we not know the motive which has inspired them. This is the fear, whether with or without reason, of the consequences which may result from it; but such a prejudice is. neither scientific, since it proceeds arbitrarily, nor moral, because it does not prefer truth to all else.

Thus it is not possible to accept the doctrine of which Lordat is the most illustrious exponent, and which, while unreservedly subjecting to the laws of heredity the 'dynamism' (or the various modes of psychic activity) of the animal, exempts from them the 'dynamism' of man. The author's intention is too plain.1 He

1 'If the laws,' says he, 'are identical in the two orders (animal and human), analogy would lead us to suppose that the dynamism of brutes is like our own, and that man is only a nobler and better-developed animal, as Gall and his.

aviation, etc. But in this analysis the fact has crumbled away, vinished, ceased to be, and has left in its stead nothing but a Set of laws.

If we take a biological fact, a flowering plant, a respiratory animal there again we find only a sum of laws. First, there are the laws of inorganic matter; and, indeed, if we reduce life to pure mechanism, there are no others. But if, on the contrary, we hold that physics and chemistry fail to explain life in its entirety, we bring in other laws, those governing assimilation, disintegration, generation, and all the vital processes; and although we have as yet no precise knowledge of these laws, we do not doubt that ther exist

So, too, with the moral world. A passion, a poem, a historical event, a revolution, result from the grouping of an almost infinite ber of laws. For, beyond the physical and biologic laws which they presuppose, they imply also psychological, economical, and social laws. The simplest moral fact presents such a complication, soch a tangle of laws, themselves but ill-understood, that many men, unable to recognize them, have chosen rather to deny them. But each new advance of science discredits this solution; and, although it is possible that beyond this general reference to law there may exist something which is not subject to it, still we may affirm that every fact, considered as such, is a grouping of

Let us suppose all the facts of the physical and moral universe reduced to a thousand secondary laws, and these to a dozen primitive laws, which are the final and irreducible elements of the world; let us represent each by a thread of peculiar colour, itself formed of a collection of finer threads; a superior force-God, Nature, Chance, it matters not what—is ever weaving, knotting and unknotting these, and transforming them into various patterns. To the ordinary mind there is nothing besides these kn patterns; for it these are the only reality—bey nothing, suspects nothing. But the man ~~

be unties the knots, unravels the patte

reality is in the threads. Then the

Law disappears; facts are but a sy

Thus a scientific idea of the world is formed. The experimental method appeared to be imprisoned in the raw material of the fact, when all at once its range of vision is enlarged, its horizon recedex almost immeasurably, to that mysterious limit where the world of laws comes to an end; observation attains to the universal, and experience gains the almost idealistic conclusion that facts are but appearances, laws the reality.

II.

We must now inquire whether, among the many threads the inter weaving of which constitutes the facts we have cited, any one is common to this entire group. To speak more clearly, the ques tion is whether heredity is a law of the moral world, or whether the many instances already quoted are only isolated cases resulting from the fortuitous concurrence of other laws.

It may be surprising why, after what has been already said, the question is now raised. But the perfect indifference of most psychologists with regard to heredity would seem to show that they do not recognize in it a psychical law. The doctrines of those physiologists who have bestowed more attention on the subject are by no means harmonious on this point, and many o them have roundly denied moral heredity. It is, therefore, im portant that the question should be studied To speak frankly, the objections brought against psychological herocky do WA appear to be very formidable; they would, indeed, be often inexplicable, did we not know the motive which has inspired them. This is the fear, whether with or without reason, of the consequences which may result front such a prejudice is neifler scientific, since it procer nor moral because