AN ABSTRACT OF THE THESIS OF JACOB F. LESTERfor the degree of DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY GENERAL SCIENCE in (Biological Science) presented on c1:111 lot VVA, title: JOHN FISKE'S PHILOSOPHY OF SCIENCE: THE UNION OF SCIENCE AND RELIGION THROUGH THE PRINCIPLE OF EVOLUTION Abstract Approved:Redacted for privacy Paul L. Farber Modern science was produced by a Christian society, and although science has had an effect on Christianity, it could not itself remain unaffected. In the second half of the nineteenth century, the subject of evolution was as much a religious as a scientific issue. The battle line was drawn and science seemed to be putting an end to the religious faith of times past. Science was explaining the meaning of the universe through the doctrine of evolution, and it was defining the symbols religion was using in its own defense. Some concerned thinkers sought to modify the course and the methods of both science and religion. John Fiske grew up in the traditional New England theology of that period and he felt that there was a need for revision in theology in order to meet the needs of the times. Unlike the nonbelievers and positivists, Fiske saw in science an ally of religion. He proposed a system of science based on reciprocation and sympathy between science and religion. It was patterned after the philosophy of Herbert Spencer, the philosopher he idolized. Like Spencer, Fiske was overwhelmed by one scientific con- cept, the unifying principle of evolution. His system is cosmic, dealing with the whole spectrum of phenomena from the development of planetary systems to the evolu- tion of psychical power. The focus of this history is on Fiske's conviction that religion and science are pointing to the same thing, and that the common ground can be found in the doctrineof evolution. He qualified his enthusiasm for Positivismand was not worried about skepticism. He easily passed by the older arguments because he was confident that sciencewould eventually give more certain proofs. In Spencer's philos- ophy he saw the makings of theism, while hiscontemporaries saw materialism. In evolution he saw theistic implications while others saw more naturalistic implications. We will see that Fiske refused to go the wayof his colleagues into agnosticism because he was willing tohave a system that was essentially a priori. Moreover, he was convinced that the study of evolution, especially asit bears upon man's ethical nature and his awarenessof God would set at rest the apparent contrarietyseparating science and the institution of religion. Our concern will be with Fiske'sphilosophy of science as it is set forth in the Outlines ofCosmic Philosophy: Based on the Doctrine of Evolution with Criticisms on the Positive Philosophy, which was a popu- larization of Herbert Spencer's "Synthetic Philosophy." And this dissertation will concentrate on that part which Fiske and others considered to be his own original contri- bution to evolutionary theory, his concept of the "pro- longation of infancy" in man. Our interest in his subse- quent philosophical works will be confined to areas which give evidence of the viability of his theory as a means of attaining the unified theoretical perspective he envisioned. This evaluation of Fiske's scientific originality is of interest in that it supplies what is felt to be an essential chapter in the history of American scientific thought, and is justified by the position that Fiske held as a popular lecturer and respected intellectual. Although Fiske's contributions were not lasting, his ideas were widely accepted and influential in his own time. He wrote extensively in philosophy and contri- buted to the understanding and acceptance of evolution- ary theory in America. C) 1979 JACOB FRANKLIN LESTER ALL RIGHTS RESERVED John Fiske's Philosophy of Science: The Union of Science and Religion Through the Principle of Evolution by Jacob Franklin Lester A THESIS submitted to Oregon State University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy Completed April 1979 Commencement June 1979 APPROVED: Redacted for privacy Associate Professor of the History of Science in charge of major Redacted for privacy Chairman of the Department of General Science Redacted for privacy Dean of Graduate School Date thesis is presented April 10, 1979 Typed by Alice C. Lester for Jacob Franklin Lester ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I would like to dedicate this dissertation to my wife Alice and daughter Angela whose patience and encour- agement and enthusiasm have given me the perseverence necessary for such an undertaking. I would like to thank Paul Farber, philosopher and creative historian of biology, who made me aware of the nature of dogmatic science and provided me with inspira- tion and insight into the philosophy of science. TABLE OF CONTENTS PART I. BACKGROUND Chapter Page I. INTRODUCTION: THE INTELLECTUAL CLIMATE Fiske's Inherited Tradition: The American Scholarly Ideal 1 Spencer or Darwin: The Vogue of Spencer in America 11 The New Theologians: Ethics in a Different Light 30 II. BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH 1842-1859 Boyhood: Liberation of the Spirit 61 1860-1873 The New Faith: Spencer and the Development of Cosmic Theism 70 1874-1901 An American Popularizer of Science, Religion and History 86 PART II. AN INTUITIVE CLAIM FOR RELIGION AND EVOLUTION III. FISKE'S PHILOSOPHY OF SCIENCE: FROM A SUMMARY OF ALL KNOWLEDGE TO MORAL EVOLUTION The Limits of Knowledge 115 The Law of Evolution 128 Prolongation of Infancy: Religion and Science Reconciled 148 IV. EMENDING THE ARGUMENT FOR UNITY The Unseen World 187 The Destiny of Man Viewed in the Light of his Origin 195 The Idea of God as Affected by Modern Knowledge 201 Through Nature to God 206 V. CONCLUSION The Case for the Prolongation of Infancy as a Means of Achieving Unity 217 Satisfying a Cultural Need 248 BIBLIOGRAPHY 268 JOHN FISKE'S PHILOSOPHY OF SCIENCE: THE UNION OF SCIENCEAND RELIGION THROUGH THE PRINCIPLE OF EVOLUTION PART I. BACKGROUND I. INTRODUCTION: THE INTELLECTUAL CLIMATE FISKE'S INHERITED TRADITION: THE AMERICAN SCHOLARLY IDEAL No one longer holds with the ancient skeptic, that all things remain as they were since the beginning. All alike admit that the universe, as we know it, has had a beginning in time, and the problem which all alike propose is, to account for its origin and history. There was a time in the eternal duration when the present order did not exist, and a time when it began to be. How? This is the question which both science and religion attempt to answer.1 BORDEN PARKER BOWNE The purpose of this work is to examine certain scientific ideas of the popular nineteenth-century Ameri- can philosopher, lecturer and historian, John Fiske, and to comment upon their plausibility and influence. To examine Fiske's original scientific ideas as they develop- ed in the shadow of evolution is interesting and may, I hope, be instructive. He was one of a handful of Ameri- can thinkers who, using evolution to interpret religion and morality, wanted to show that every part of life could be viewed as an aspect of the doctrine of evolution. Moreover, he believed that he had discovered the specific 1 Borden Parker Bowne, The Philosophy of Herbert Spencer (Phillips & Hunt, 1881), p. 9. 2 agency by which man's religiousand scientific beliefs could be unified, that is, the originof morality. In order to pursue this thesis, wewill first examine the character of the period inwhich he lived and the style of life that led him to hisideas. It is not my intention, however, to write amemoir of a public 2 individual who has already had more than onebiographer. First we will discuss the function ofthe scholar in America when Fiske was deciding upon a career. Then we will examine those factors formingthe intellectual climate in which he grew, sketch hislife, and move to his evolutionary hypothesis. In the period when sectionalism wasdeveloping in America, between the war of 1812and the 1830's, the thinking of the people and the very structureof society were undergoing change. New England's population was stable, with very little growth comparedto the rest of the country. The best land was alreadycultivated and 2See John Spencer Clark, The Lifeand Letters of John Fiske (New York: Houghton, Mifflin and Company,1917); Milton Berman, John Fiske: The Evolution of a Popularizer (Cambridge:Harvard University Press, 1961); Patrick D. Hazard, "John Fiske asAmerican Scholar: A Study in the Testing of a Native AmericanTradition" (unpublished Ph.D. dissertation, Western Reserve University,1957); Harry Burnell Pannill, "John Fiske: Cosmic Theist" (unpublishedPh.D. dissertation, Duke University, 1952); George P. Winston,John Fiske (New York: Twayne Publishers, 1972.) 3 land prices were high. The manners and social attitudes common to the northern states were derived from British roots. Socially conscious people emulated what they considered to be the style of London. Each city had its own character, and Boston, more than others, had all the appearance of a small English province. Most of the people living there had British ancestors. So it was with other New England cities, each with its distinctive character. The North not only had many individualized commu- nities, it was the cultural center for art, theater, and writing. Most of the nation's scholars lived in the northern states, and their common preoccupation became the creation of a tradition thatwas distinctively American. The North American Review, one of the nation's prominent magazines, set out to "foster American genius," and literary clubs sprang up in New York and Boston to encourage American authors.3 To choose the life of a scholar in Fiske's day was to find oneself in a dilemma. During the Jacksonian period, the prevailing sentiment was that in order to develop a stable society, the nation had to generatea 3 John A.