The evolution hypothesis is, indeed, no novelty. It is, after all its pretended modern experiments, but a revival of the ‘atomic theory’ of the Greek atheist, Democritus, adopted by the Epicurean school. Its application to the descent of man from some lower animal, has often been attempted, as by Lord Monboddo, who almost exactly anticipated Dr. Chas. Darwin’s conclusion. In the eyes of some modern Physicists, however, it has received new plausibility from the more intelligent speculations of the Naturalist La Marck, and the ‘Vestiges of Creation’ ascribed to Mr. Robert Chambers. But it appears in its fullest form, in the ingenious works of Dr. Chas. Darwin, ‘Origin of Species,’ and ‘Descent of Man'” (R.L. Dabney, Systematic Theology).
I am not quoting Dabney here against evolution. In this particular quote, Dabney has not even begun to rail against evolution (he gets to that later in subsequent paragraphs that I have not quoted here). If I do quote Dabney (or anyone else I know is insidiously inconsistent) against or defending some issue, I try to highlight their hypocrisy somewhere in the post (e.g., a Charles Hodge quote lauding the Person of Christ must needs be “tempered” with his despicable attack on Christ’s absolute impeccability).
IF this particular Dabney quote WAS against evolution (and not simply an explanation that evolution is not novel, and that it received new plausibility from certain areas), THEN I am quite aware of the despicable inconsistency found in R.L. Dabney’s Song for the South:
“But while we believe that ‘God made of one blood all nations of men to dwell under the whole heavens,’ we know that the African has become, according to a well-known law of natural history … a different, fixed species of the race, separated from the white man by traits bodily, mental, and moral, almost as rigid and permanent as those of genus” (R.L. Dabney, A Defence of Virginia (And Through Her, of the South) in Recent and Pending Contests Against the Sectional Party).
And, yes. R.L. Dabney ought to shut his racist mouth.
Agrammatos 