ABSTRACT
The discussion of evolution is an effort to resolve the contradictory theories of the origin of man and other living beings by examining the unquestioned facts bearing on the case with a view to finding which of the various theories have the greatest probability of truth. Many of the myths and legends of primitive peoples which implicate animals in the origin of man are, from the standpoint of the theory of knowledge, in the nature of hypotheses involving the genetic kindred of many of the animals concerned. Stories of direct origin of man from animals are common. The closer the resemblance between man himself and any particular object the closer would be the resemblance between the human spirit and that of the object. If resemblance has played as large a part in man’s speculations about his own kinship and origin as we have assumed we should expect modern science to seek with special eagerness among the primates for human likenesses.
