Anti-Duhring, Part 1, Philosophy, Chapter VII – Natural Philosophy. The Organic World - Part 4 of 7

Engels notes the work of Haeckel,

“and the variation of species conceived as a result of the mutual interaction of adaptation and heredity, with adaptation being represented as the variation-producing factor and heredity as the preserving factor in the process.” (p 88)

Duhring is again offended by the use of a term, here, adaptation, rather than the actual content of the process described.

“Once again it is the name which makes Herr Dühring angry. But whatever name he may give the process, the question here is whether variations in the species of organisms are produced through such processes or not. And again Herr Dühring gives no answer.” (p 88-9)

Duhring does not understand the process as being one in which these individuals of a species that have inherited certain advantageous characteristics thrive, and pass on those characteristics, but one in which certain individuals, as some kind of conscious act of will, adapt themselves to those conditions.

Plants that developed toxins that deterred other creatures from eating them, did not do so as some kind of conscious act of will, and it is not that any individual plant within the species, overnight, does so. Some individual plants would have had characteristics that made them less attractive to potential predators, and one of those characteristics would have been a chemical make-up that was toxic to those predators.

The individuals within the species that had these characteristics would survive and pass on those characteristics that become enhanced, and become a part of the general characteristics of the species, or cause it to evolve into a new species. Often this toxic characteristic goes along with a red colouration and other creatures learn that this colouration implies toxicity and avoid it. But, other plants and other creatures that may not have developed this toxicity as a defence benefit from the fact that other creatures avoid eating anything red. So, those individuals that have a red or reddish colouration, survive and pass on these characteristics in their genes.

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