"Man does not actually produce variability; he only unintentionally exposes organic being to new conditions of life, and then nature acts on the organisation, and causes variability" (Darwin 293).
I think that this statement weighs heavily on the state of Empiricism. In this sentence, Darwin is basically explaining the reach of empirical science, science based upon variables, controls, and observations. Man can select to expose and independent variable to a particular construct, but the effect is not controlled by man, only the choice that man makes. The way we are taught empirically, students believe they have caused an effect when they are really only choosing a cause which may or may not necessarily cause a consistent effect, or it might be an effect itself.
It is funny to think of how we have so misconstrued not only empirical theory, but Darwin's theories as well. What else about nature and nature and control then, are we not seeing or have we misconstrued?
To continue, Darwin talks about the apparent power man gains from being able to patiently use empirics to figure out and select variations of species that are useful to himself (294). Then he compares that power to nature, trying to figure out why nature should fail where man has succeeded in weeding out successful variations. Although on the surface, one would be inclined to agree with Darwin's observation or at least pause to question, one should be wary of the fact that nature is something that man does not control. Man is still fighting with nature, which goes back to Fichte's discussion of nature's relationship to man. Nature, unpredictable in the patterns (patterns being a construct of the human mind to understand the world) that make it up, must be accounting for something when a species becomes extinct because of a failure in selection. Darwin even touches upon something, which at the forefront is population and reproduction. Nature needs to regulate for that, or everything would die. Therein lies the power that nature has over man.
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I think Darwin has overestimated the power of man, especially in relation with nature. I think back when we started talking about Darwin and talked about the concept of deep time. We as a species have existed on essentially a dot of this timeline so how can we presume to be able to control or have power over nature? Also, if we are going to believe Darwin's theory, then we as a species were also created through Natural selection, so what makes us so different from all other species whose fate is essentially dictated by nature? Our intellect or intelligent? As we spoke about it class, I'm not sure if our intelligence will aid in our chance for survival. Who knows, intelligence might be the variation that will lead to the downfall of the species.
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