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Darwin Correspondence Project

From S. T. Preston   5 August 1880

25 Reedworth Street | Kennington Road SE. | London.

Aug. 5th. 1880

Dear Sir

I hesitated to send you the accompanying copy of a paper on Natural Science & Morality before, being doubtful from a letter received from you on May 22nd. whether you would be disposed at present to enter upon the subject.1 But it has occurred to me that the perusal of the paper might possibly not be without interest (waiving perhaps any discussion).

You will at least I am sure kindly notice the few facts I have to mention regarding it.

The subject was entered upon some three years back, and some of the main groundwork of the present paper was published in cooperation with a friend (for private circulation) as part of a pamphlet dated June 1879.2 This, curiously enough is the same date as that on the preface of Mr Herbert Spencer’s “Data of Ethics”.3 Although the subject is elaborated much further in relation to Evolution in the “Data of Ethics”, I find that the present paper contains some conclusions in accordance with those in Mr Spencer’s work—so as to look almost like a popular exposition of parts of it. I am rather confirmed in this view, inasmuch as a paper by a Canadian Le Sueur, “A Vindication of Scientific Ethics” published in New York, in the “Popular Science Monthly”,4 and which is actually a popular exposition of Mr Spencer’s views—resembles still more closely the paper sent herewith (and was published on the same day; July 1st).

One cause for my not reading the “Data of Ethics” before, was perhaps the fact of having published part of the present paper in the private pamphlet mentioned. I am only gratified to find that some of the conclusions are analogous—though the accompanying paper contains but a mere sketch of the relation of the subject to Evolution. I think however that the section on Responsibility and Physical Causation (which I developed myself in 1877) may perhaps contain some novelty—the incentive to this having been Prof Tyndall’s well known address at the Midland Inst. of Birmingham of that year on the qu⁠⟨⁠es⁠⟩⁠ti⁠⟨⁠on⁠⟩⁠ of the Responsibility of criminals in relation to natural causation (re-published, Fortnightly Review Nov. 1877).5

I am inclined to the opinion that the paper as a whole might be capable of contributing something towards popularising the new Natural System of Ethics.6 But this being the first Essay in this line, in which I had any part, I have naturally encountered difficulties in the way of introduction, and I fear the paper is practically sunk in its present locality, on account of the extremely limited circulation and repute of the periodical where it appears.

Do you think perhaps Mr Spencer would find any interest in the paper; or I should be very grateful for any assistance or word of advice you might like to give me. I cannot but believe that the subject is one which it would do good to follow up, and I think I could do much work with a little encouragement—but find it hard to progress with a dead wall (as it were) of apathy or indifference, even with the best intentions. The subject is one of so special a kind that I have ventured to send you the paper and mention the facts—and letters received from you before, and from the late Prof. Clerk Maxwell & Sir W Thomson (in relation to physical questions)7 induce me to hope that my work may not be entirely undeserving of encouragement. At the same time I should not like it to be overlooked that in the present case a friend (who wishes to remain anonymous for the present) had a large—perhaps greater—share in the development of the main branch of the subject. It is extremely difficult at first in a matter of this kind to obtain even that degree of attention which is necessary to form a judgment on any Essay.

Trusting I shall not be thought to be trespassing too far on your kindness. | Yours truly | S Tolver Preston

Charles Darwin Esqr FRS &c.

P.S. I should mention perhaps that the private pamphlet on “Physics & Ethics”, which included a small part of the present paper (but the main subject of which was principally the work of my friend), was rejected by “The Fortnightly Review”.

CD annotations

6.1 or I should … to give me. 6.3] double scored red crayon
6.6 The subject … of encouragement. 6.9] scored red crayon

Footnotes

See letter to S. T. Preston, 22 May 1880 and n. 3. Preston’s paper was published in the Journal of Science for July 1880 (Preston 1880a). It has not been found in the Darwin Archive–CUL.
The pamphlet was Physics and ethics ([Seaton] 1879); Preston’s friend was William Sharpey Seaton.
CD had referred Preston to Herbert Spencer’s The data of ethics (Spencer 1879; see letter to S. T. Preston, 22 May 1880 and n. 4).
John Tyndall’s address ‘Science and man’ was delivered at the Birmingham and Midland Institute on 1 October 1877 (Tyndall 1877). For ‘Responsibility and physical causation’, see Preston 1880a, pp. 457–60.
Preston argued that ethical behaviour was based on rationally calculated self-interest, rather than on instinctive sympathy for others, as CD had argued in Descent 1: 70–104; Preston distinguished self-interest from mere selfishness, and claimed that personal happiness was dependent on the goodwill, friendship, and sociability of others. He was strongly critical of ‘clericalism’, which based morality on the fear of eternal punishment (see Preston 1880a, pp. 447–9, 453–5).
James Clerk Maxwell and William Thomson. For correspondence between Preston and Maxwell, see Harmon ed. 1990–2002, 3: 551–2.

Bibliography

Harmon, Peter Michael, ed. 1990–2002. Scientific letters and papers of James Clerk Maxwell. 3 vols. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

LeSueur, William Dawson. 1880. A vindication of scientific ethics. Popular Science Monthly 17: 324–37.

Preston, Samuel Tolver. 1880a. Natural science and morality. Journal of science 3d ser. 2: 443–62.

[Seaton, William Sharpey.] 1879. Physics and ethics: the conservation of energy and free will: scientific imagination and the origin of knowledge: the ascent of man and the basis of right and wrong. London: Harrison and Sons.

Spencer, Herbert. 1879. The data of ethics. London: Williams and Norgate.

Tyndall, John. 1877b. Science and man. Fortnightly Review 22: 593–617.

Summary

Sends his paper on "Natural science and morality", notwithstanding CD’s disinclination for the subject. This work parallels H. Spencer’s in the Data of ethics [1879].

Clerk Maxwell and William Thomson have encouraged his work in physics; STP looks for CD’s support on evolution.

Letter details

Letter no.
DCP-LETT-12678
From
Samuel Tolver Preston
To
Charles Robert Darwin
Sent from
London, Reedworth St, 25
Source of text
DAR 174: 62
Physical description
ALS 4pp †

Please cite as

Darwin Correspondence Project, “Letter no. 12678,” accessed on 19 March 2024, https://www.darwinproject.ac.uk/letter/?docId=letters/DCP-LETT-12678.xml

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