the position of
Darwinism in reference to the substance and the objective truth of the
religious faith, without going into a detailed treatment of the question of
the reconcilableness of a purely subjective religiousness with the
Darwinian views, it will be of advantage to speak first of the position of
the Darwinian theories in reference to the basis of all true and sound
religion and religiousness--the _theistic view of the world_. In doing
this, we shall discriminate the purely scientific theories of Darwin from
the philosophic supplements and conclusions which have been given to and
drawn from them, and shall have to consider each of them separately in
connection with the theistic view of the world. If thereby we shall
discover Darwinian views which can be brought into accord with a theistic
view of the world, we shall also, in order to close our investigation, have
to consider them with those parts of the theology of _positive
Christianity_ which can be affected by the Darwinian questions.

In treating the question of the relation of Darwinism to morality, our
investigation can be somewhat abridged, because many of the principal
questions which have to be considered have found their solution in what has
been previously said, and partly also because they will present themselves
in it different form.

The principal division in our discussion we shall most appropriately assign
to ethics, and thus treat first of the position of Darwinism in reference
to the moral principles, and then treat of this in reference to the
concrete {251} moral life. Where the question as to the position of
Darwinism in reference to morality occurs, we shall no longer have to treat
of it separately as to the different aspects of its problems--we should
otherwise get lost in too many repetitions; but we shall only have to
separate an ethical naturalism which supports itself upon Darwinian
grounds, from pure Darwinism, and to treat of each in turn as to its
position in reference to morality.

* * * * * {252}

_A. THE DARWINIAN THEORIES AND RELIGION._

CHAPTER I.

THE DARWINIAN THEORIES AND THE THEISTIC VIEW OF THE WORLD.

A. THE POSITION OF PURELY SCIENTIFIC DARWINISM IN REFERENCE TO THEISM.

Sec. 1. _Scientific Investigation and Theism. The Idea of Creation._

At the very beginning of our investigation, we have to state that the
absolute freedom of scientific investigation lies not only in the interes