ThesagesofMiletuswerepronouncedevolutionists;and, howeverdarkmaybesomeofthesayingsofHeracleitusofEphesus, whowasprobablyacontemporaryofGautama, nobetterexpressionsoftheessenceofthemoderndoctrineofevolutioncanbefoundthanarepresentedbysomeofhispithyaphorismsandstrikingmetaphors.[12]Indeed,manyofmypresentauditorsmusthaveobservedthat,morethanonce, Ihaveborrowedfromhiminthebriefexpositionofthetheoryofevolutionwithwhichthisdiscoursecommenced.
ButwhenthefocusofGreekintellectualactivityshiftedtoAthens, ,theylostthekeytothethoughtofthegreatEphesian,which, Iimagine, ismoreintelligibletousthanitwastoSocrates, , moreespecially,setthefashionofakindofinverseagnosticism, byteachingthattheproblemsofphysicsliebeyondthereachofthehumanintellect; thattheattempttosolvethemisessentiallyvain; thattheoneworthyobjectofinvestigationistheproblemofethicallife;, withinitspresentrangeofmutation, , ; and, professingthemselvesdisciplesofHeracleitus, , theynotonlyomittedsomecharacteristicfeaturesoftheirmaster'steaching, , fieryenergy, operatingaccordingtolaw, outofwhichallthingsemergeandintowhichtheyreturn, intheendlesssuccessivecyclesofthegreatyear; whichcreatesanddestroysworldsasawantonchildbuildsup, andanonlevels, sandcastlesontheseashore; wasmetamorphosedintoamaterialworld-soulanddeckedoutwithalltheattributesofidealDivinity; notmerelywithinfinitepowerandtranscendentwisdom, butwithabsolutegoodness.
