The Destiny of Man, Viewed in the Light of His Origin

The essay traces human origins and destiny from scientific and philosophical angles, beginning with Copernican and Darwinian shifts that reposition humanity within nature. It argues that evolutionary processes shaped infancy, brain development, and a growing predominance of mental life, which fostered society, morality, and the decline of perpetual warfare as industrial and political institutions emerge. It contends that natural selection's direct work on humans wanes as cultural inheritance and ethical progress take over, examines the implications for religious belief including Christianity, and considers whether scientific knowledge permits belief in a future life, with reflections on human improvableness and political reforms to reduce conflict.