Page 131 - The Struggle Against the Religion of Irreligion

in the struggle for life. For example, in a deer herd under the threat of

attack by wild animals, those that can run faster will survive.

Therefore, the deer herd will be comprised of faster and stronger

individuals. Unquestionably, however, this mechanism will not cause

deer to evolve and transform themselves into another living species,

for instance, horses.

Therefore, the mechanism of natural selection obviously has no

evolutionary power. Darwin himself was aware of this fact and had to

state it in The Origin of Species:

Natural selection can do nothing until favorable variations chance

to occur. 134

Lamarck's Impact

So, how could these "favorable variations" occur? Darwin tried

to answer this question from the standpoint of the primitive

understanding of science in his age. According to the French biologist

Lamarck, who lived before Darwin, living creatures passed on the traits

they acquired during their lifetime to the next generation, and these

traits, accumulating from one generation to another, caused new

species to be formed. For instance, according to Lamarck, giraffes

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