Life and Habit

Samuel Butler

Description

Though his most popular works were novels, the British author Samuel Butler was also deeply engaged in the scientific community of his time. Originally, he was a strong supporter of Darwin's theory of evolution, but after digging into the research, Butler identified several problems with Darwin's model. Butler's objections are laid out in the essays collected in Life and Habit.

Sujets

• Sciences et techniques
• Evolution

Informations

• Publié par: The Floating Press
• Date de parution: 01 juillet 2014
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9781776583836
• Langue: English

Extrait

LIFE AND HABIT
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SAMUEL BUTLER
 
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Life and Habit First published in 1878 Epub ISBN 978-1-77658-383-6 Also available: PDF ISBN 978-1-77658-384-3 © 2013 The Floating Press and its licensors. All rights reserved. While every effort has been used to ensure the accuracy and reliability of the information contained in The Floating Press edition of this book, The Floating Press does not assume liability or responsibility for any errors or omissions in this book. The Floating Press does not accept responsibility for loss suffered as a result of reliance upon the accuracy or currency of information contained in this book. Do not use while operating a motor vehicle or heavy equipment. Many suitcases look alike. Visit www.thefloatingpress.com
Contents
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Preface Author's Preface Chapter I - On Certain Acquired Habits Chapter II - Conscious and Unconscious Knowers—The Law and Grace Chapter III - Application of Foregoing Chapters to Certain HabitsAcquired After Birth Which Are Commonly Considered Instinctive Chapter IV - Application of the Foregoing Principles to Actions andHabits Acquired Before Birth Chapter V - Personal Identity Chapter VI - Personal Identity—(Continued) Chapter VII - Our Subordinate Personalities Chapter VIII - Application of the Foregoing Chapters—The Assimilationof Outside Matter Chapter IX - On the Abeyance of Memory Chapter X - What We Should Expect to Find if Differentiations ofStructure and Instinct Are Mainly Due to Memory Chapter XI - Instinct as Inherited Memory Chapter XII - Instincts of Neuter Insects Chapter XIII - Lamarck and Mr. Darwin Chapter XIV - Mr. Mivart and Mr. Darwin Chapter XV - Concluding Remarks Endnotes
Preface
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Since Samuel Butler published "Life and Habit" thirty-three [1] yearshave elapsed—years fruitful in change and discovery, during whichmany of the mighty have been put down from their seat and many of thehumble have been exalted. I do not know that Butler can truthfullybe called humble, indeed, I think he had very few misgivings as tohis ultimate triumph, but he has certainly been exalted with arapidity that he himself can scarcely have foreseen. During hislifetime he was a literary pariah, the victim of an organizedconspiracy of silence. He is now, I think it may be said withoutexaggeration, universally accepted as one of the most remarkableEnglish writers of the latter part of the nineteenth century. I willnot weary my readers by quoting the numerous tributes paid bydistinguished contemporary writers to Butler's originality and forceof mind, but I cannot refrain from illustrating the changed attitudeof the scientific world to Butler and his theories by a reference to"Darwin and Modern Science," the collection of essays published in1909 by the University of Cambridge, in commemoration of the Darwincentenary. In that work Professor Bateson, while referringrepeatedly to Butler's biological works, speaks of him as "the mostbrilliant and by far the most interesting of Darwin's opponents,whose works are at length emerging from oblivion." With the growthof Butler's reputation "Life and Habit" has had much to do. It wasthe first and is undoubtedly the most important of his writings onevolution. From its loins, as it were, sprang his three later books,"Evolution Old and New," "Unconscious Memory," and "Luck or Cunning",which carried its arguments further afield. It will perhaps interestButler's readers if I here quote a passage from his note-books,lately published in the "New Quarterly Review" (Vol. III. No. 9), inwhich he summarizes his work in biology:
"To me it seems that my contributions to the theory of evolution havebeen mainly these
"1. The identification of heredity and memory, and the corollariesrelating to sports, the reversion to remote ancestors, the phenomenaof old age, the causes of the sterility of hybrids, and theprinciples underlying longevity—all of which follow as a matter ofcourse. This was 'Life and Habit' [1877].
"2. The re-introduction of teleology into organic life, which to meseems hardly, if at all, less important than the 'Life and Habit'theory. This was 'Evolution Old and New' [1879].
"3. An attempt to suggest an explanation of the physics of memory.This was Unconscious Memory' [1880]. I was alarmed by the suggestionand fathered it upon Professor Hering, who never, that I can see,meant to say anything of the kind, but I forced my view upon him, asit were, by taking hold of a sentence or two in his lecture, 'OnMemory as a Universal Function of Organised Matter,' and thusconnected memory with vibrations.
"What I want to do now (1885) is to connect vibrations not only withmemory but with the physical constitution of that body in which thememory resides, thus adopting Newland's law (sometimes calledMendelejeff's law) that there is only one substance, and that thecharacteristics of the vibrations going on within it at any giventime will determine whether it will appear to us as, we will say,hydrogen, or sodium, or chicken doing this, or chicken doing theother." [2]
The present edition of "Life and Habit" is practically a re-issue ofthat of 1878. I find that about the year 1890, although the originaledition was far from being exhausted, Butler began to makecorrections of the text of "Life and Habit," presumably with theintention of publishing a revised edition. The copy of the book socorrected is now in my possession. In the first five chapters thereare numerous emendations, very few of which, however, affect themeaning to any appreciable extent, being mainly concerned with theexcision of redundancies and the simplification of style. I imaginethat by the time he had reached the end of the fifth chapter Butlerrealised that the corrections he had made were not of sufficientimportance to warrant a new edition, and determined to let the bookstand as it was. I believe, therefore, that I am carrying out hiswishes in reprinting the present edition from the original plates. Ihave found, however, among his papers three entirely new passages,which he probably wrote during the period of correction and no doubtintended to incorporate into the revised edition. Mr. Henry FestingJones has also given me a copy of a passage which Butler wrote andgummed into Mr. Jones's copy of "Life and Habit." These fourpassages I have printed as an appendix at the end of the presentvolume.
One more point deserves notice. Butler often refers in "Life andHabit" to Darwin's "Variations of Animals and Plants underDomestication." When he does so it is always under the name "Plantsand Animals." More often still he refers to Darwin's "Origin ofSpecies by means Natural Selection," terming it at one time "Originof Species" and at another "Natural Selection," sometimes, using both names within a few lines of each other. Butler wasas a rule scrupulously careful about quotations, and I can offer noexplanation of this curious confusion of titles.
R. A. STREATFEILD. November, 1910.
Author's Preface
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The Italics in the passages quoted in this book are generally mine,but I found it almost impossible to call the reader's attention tothis upon every occasion. I have done so once or twice, as thinkingit necessary in these cases that there should be no mistake; on thewhole, however, I thought it better to content myself with callingattention in a preface to the fact that the author quoted is not, asa general rule, responsible for the Italics.
S. BUTLER. November 13, 1877.
Chapter I - On Certain Acquired Habits
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It will be our business in the following chapters to consider whetherthe unconsciousness, or quasi-unconsciousness, with which we performcertain acquired actions, would seem to throw any light uponEmbryology and inherited instincts, and otherwise to follow the trainof thought which the class of actions above-mentioned would suggest;more especially in so far as they appear to bear upon the origin ofspecies and the continuation of life by successive generations,whether in the animal or vegetable kingdoms.
In the outset, however, I would wish most distinctly to disclaim forthese pages the smallest pretension to scientific value, originality,or even to accuracy of more than a very rough and ready kind—forunless a matter be true enough to stand a good deal ofmisrepresentation, its truth is not of a very robust order, and theblame will rather lie with its own delicacy if it be crushed, thanwith the carelessness of the crusher. I have no wish to instruct,and not much to be instructed; my aim is simply to entertain andinterest the numerous class of people who, like myself, know nothingof science, but who enjoy speculating and reflecting (not too deeply)upon the phenomena around them. I have therefore allowed myself aloose rein, to run on with whatever came uppermost, without regard towhether it was new or old; feeling sure that if true, it must be veryold or it never could have occurred to one so little versed inscience as myself; and knowing that it is sometimes pleasanter tomeet the old under slightly changed conditions, than to go throughthe formalities and uncertainties of making new acquaintance. At thesame time, I should say that whatever I have knowingly taken from anyone else, I have always acknowledged.
It is plain, therefore, that my book cannot be intended for theperusal of scientific people; it is intended for the general publiconly, with whom I believe myself to be in harmony, as knowing neithermuch more nor much less than they do.
Taking then, the art of playing the piano as an example of the kindof action we are in search of, we observe that a practised playerwill perform very difficult pieces apparently without effort, often,indeed, while thinking and talking of something quite other than hismusic; yet he will play accurately and, possibly, with muchexpression. If he has been playing a fugue, say in four parts, hewill have kept each part well distinct, in such a manner as to provethat his mind was not prevented, by its other occupations, fromconsciously or u