2. Obituaries
“Great as were Dr Mivart’s scientific attainments
and career, we think that he will be remembered –
and that for a long time – for his strenuous,
pathetic, illogical, yet noble attempt to reconcile the
authority of his Church with the conclusions of his
scientific conscience. … There is something
tragically memorable in Dr Mivart’s long
suppression of his doubts, their final outburst, his
terrible break with his Church, and his death
without atonement, though assuredly not without
honor.” The Tablet
“His scientific work, was however, limited by his
religious creed. Perhaps had he been less dominated
by preconceived ideas he would, with his industry,
have achieved something more striking than
anything that can be claimed for him.” Athenaeum
3. Mivart
1827: Born into wealthy evangelical
family.
Early influences from father’s circle, e.g.
Owen and John Gould
1845: Converted to Catholicism
Influence of Oxford Movement and
architecture!
1851: Studied Law at Lincoln’s Inn
1858: Fellow of the Zoological Society
1859: Meets Huxley
4. Mivart
1862: Fellow, Linnean Society
1862: Lecturer, St. Mary’s Hospital Medical
School
1864: Begins anatomical studies of primates
1867: FRS (supported by THH)
1869:Vice-President, Zoological Society
1871: On the Genesis of Species
1873: Man and Apes
1874: Professor, (Catholic) University College /
Joins “Metaphysical Club” / Secretary, Linnean
Society (to 1880)
1875: Breaks with Darwinian circle
6. Huxley
Evolution “occupies a
position of complete and
irreconcilable antagonism
to that vigorous and
consistent enemy of the
highest intellectual, moral,
and social life of mankind –
the Catholic Church”
7. Metaphysical Club
1869 - 1880
Mivart Dean Stanley of Westminster
Thomas Henry Huxley Archbishop Manning
John Tyndall The Duke of Argyll
Alfred Lord Tennyson John Ruskin
William Gladstone Henry Sidgwick
Arthur Balfor Lord Arthur Russell
9. 1864
On Huxley’s classification of
man with primates, “I was, of
course, in complete accord ... as
I was in accord with him
generally, for though I had not
accepted Darwin’s theory of
‘natural selection,’ I was neither
its opponent nor convinced it
was untenable.”
10.
11. Doubts
1868: Possible independent origin
of primate classes
1869: “Difficulties of the Theory of
Natural Selection” Month
1869: Expresses doubts to THH
1870: “On the use of the term
homology”
1870: CD is visiting Mivart in
London
12. 1871
Critical of ubiquity of Darwinian
natural selection, particularly when
applied to human mind and altruism.
The aim of Genesis was “to show
that the Darwinian theory is
untenable and that natural
selection is not the origin of
species. This was and is my
conviction purely as a man of
science, and I maintain it upon
scientific grounds only.” (1874)
13. Genesis
“‘Natural Selection’ acts, and indeed must act, but that still, in
order that we may be able to account for the production of
known kinds of animals and plants, it is required to be
supplemented by the action of some other natural law or
laws as yet undiscovered.”
“Affinities of the animal kingdom, or even the Mammalian
class, can never be represented by the symbol of a tree.
Rather, I believe, we should conceive the existence of a grove
of trees, closely approximated, greatly differing in age and
size, with their branches interlaced in a most complex
entanglement.”
14. Genesis
Inability of selection to account for the incipient stages
of useful structures
Independent origin of similar structures,
Development of useless organs
Darwin's downplaying of the importance of saltationism
Apparent stability of species;
Tight integration of the parts of an organism with each
other.
15. Wallace
“The arguments against Natural
Selection as the exclusive mode
of development are some of
them exceedingly strong, and
very well put.... Though [Mivart]
uses some weak and bad
arguments, and underrates the
power of Natural Selection, yet
I think I agree with his
conclusion in the main.”
16. 1871
“I complain of his incessantly speaking as
if I trusted exclusively to natural
selection … Mivart speaks in many places
as if I entirely ignored the direct action of
external conditions.”
CD to Hooker – Mivart will harm natural
selection but not evolution which is
“infinitely more important”
CD regrets that their views differ so
much
Mivart notes that CD’s views are leading
to religious decay. CD accuses him of
allowing religion lead him. Mivart denies.
CD apologizes stressing that evolution is
more important than natural selection.
17. 1871
February: CD visits Mivart
in London
April : Mivart holds
difference to be one of
philosophy, not science
May: CD plans cheap
edition of Origin to
respond
18. 1871
Mivart had “collected all the
objections which have ever been
advanced by he and others against
the theory of natural
selection.. .and has illustrated them
with admirable art and force” but
Darwin still “never before felt so
strongly convinced of the general
truth of the conclusions”
Sixth edition of Origin (1872) added
chapter on “Miscellaneous
Objections to the Theory of
Natural Selection”
19. Chauncey Wright
North American Review
Sends to CD in June 1871,
CD funds publication in
September and sends
Mivart a copy.
20. Mivart reviews Descent
“Man is not merely an intellectual animal, but he is also a free moral
agent, and, as such … differs from all the rest of the visible universe
by a distinction so profound that none of those which separate other
visible beings is comparable with it.”
“The assigning of ‘natural selection’ to a subordinate position, is
virtually an abandonment of Darwinian theory; for the one distinct
feature of that theory is the all-sufficiency of ‘natural selection.’
Quotes Darwin contra Darwin
CD accuses Mivart of unfairly quoting him.
CD: “Though he means to be honourable, he is so bigoted that he
cannot act fairly.”
21. 1871 - ’72
“[Mivart] shows the greatest scorn and
animosity towards me, and with uncommon
cleverness says all that is most disagreeable.
He makes me the most arrogant, odious
beast that ever lived. I cannot understand
him; I suppose that accursed religious
bigotry is at the root of it. Of course, he is
quite at liberty to scorn and hate me, but
why take such trouble to express something
more than friendship. It has mortified me a
good deal.” (to Hooker, Sept 1871)
In Jan 1872, breaks off correspondence with
Mivart, accusing him of misrepresenting his
ideas.
22.
23. Man and Apes - 1873
Distinguish between “doctrine of
evolution” and “Darwinism”
Proposes dual origin of Old and New
World Monkeys with convergence due
to environment
The totality of human nature can only
be comprehended with the aid of the
philosopher and psychologist
Any reaction by the Darwinists is
overshadowed by what happens next ...
24. Quarterly Review ’74
“Mr. George Darwin proposes that divorce
should be made consequent on insanity, and
coolly remarks that, should the patient
recover, he would suffer in no other respect
than does anyone that is forced by ill-health to
retire from any career he has begin [!];
‘although, of course, the necessary isolation of
the parent from the children would be a
peculiarly bitter blow.’ Elsewhere he speaks in
an approving strain of the most oppressive
laws, and of the encouragement of vice in
order to check population. There is no hideous
sexual criminality of Pagan days that might not
be defended on the principles advocated by
the school to which this writer belongs”
25. Reaction
CD reopens a brief correspondence in Dec
’74
CD draws Wallace and Tyndall into the fray.
THH rebukes Mivart (and withdraws
friendship)
Mivart claimed his comments “a sharp
criticism of a school of thought not … a
reflection on personal character.”
Mivart had noted the ‘intolerance and
narrow-mindedness of some of those who
advocate [Darwinism], avowedly or covertly,
in the interest of heterodoxy’ (Genesis of
Species)
27. Mivart
1876: Awarded PhD by Pope Pius IX
1882: Death of CD
1883: Galton, Spencer & THH oppose
membership of Athenaeum.
1884: Awarded DM by University of Louvain
1885: Reunites with THH
1888: Hooker opposes membership of
Athenaeum
1890: Visiting Professor, University of Louvain
1892:Vice-President, Linnean Society
1895: Death of THH
28. Mivart
Lessons from nature (1876)
Contemporary evolution (1876)
The cat: an introduction to the study of backboned animals,
especially mammals. (1881)
Nature and thought (1882)
On truth (1889)
The origin of human reason (1889)
Dogs, jackals, wolves and foxes: Monograph of the Canidæ
(1890)
Types of animal life (1893)
Introduction to the elements of science (1894)
A monograph of the Lories, or brush-tongued parrots (1896)
The groundwork of science: a study of epistemology (1898)
The helpful science (1898)
31. On Truth 1889
“The origin of the human species
must, however, belong to a different
category since, as we have seen, in
spite of the exceedingly close
resemblances of the human frame to
the structure of apes, the soul of
man possesses powers so utterly
distinct in kind from those possessed
by any other known existence in the
material universe, that it merits to be
distinguished by a radically distinct
denomination – that of ‘spirit’.”
32. Catholic Critic
“Modern Catholics and scientific
freedom” (1885)
“The Catholic Church and biblical
criticism” (1887)
“Catholicity and Reason” (1887)
“Sins of Belief and Disbelief” (1888)
“Happiness in Hell” (1892)
“The continuity of Catholicism” (1900)
“Some recent apologists” (1900)
33. On the Church
“After mature reflection and many
struggles, I had come to the
conclusion that the Roman Catholic
Church must tolerate a
transforming process of evolution,
with respect to many of its dogmas,
or sink, by degrees, into an effete
and insignificant body, composed of
ignorant persons, a mass of women
and children and a number of
mentally effeminate men” (1900)
34. 1900
“All of us, however submissive to
authority, must in the last resort, rest
upon the judgment of our individual
reason. … It is now evident that a vast
and impassible abyss yawns between
Catholic dogma and science, and no
man with ordinary knowledge, can
henceforth join the communion of the
Roman Catholic Church if he
correctly understands what its
principles and its teachings really are,
unless they are radically changed.”
35. 1900
“The various articles and few books I
have written have always represented
my convictions at the time as
accurately as I could represent them
… I have no more leaning to atheism
or agnosticism now than I ever had;
but the inscrutable, incomprehensible
energy pervading the universe and
(as it seems to me) disclosed by
science, differs profoundly, as I read
nature, from the God worshipped by
Christians.”
36. Endgame - 1900
Excommunication by Cardinal
Vaughn
Dies of diabetes
Subsequent burial in
unconsecrated ground
Re-burial in 1904
37. Charles Kingsley
Acknowledged Mivart’s
system as allowing God’s
action to be detected.
38. Mivart, like ...
T.H. Huxley, felt that evolution
was more saltational than
Darwin did.
Asa Grey, felt that evolution
was directed (perhaps by
directed variations?).
Many “Darwinists” (including
Huxley & Wallace), felt that
natural selection could not do
all that Darwin claimed it could.
