Nobility in Mere Living
"Thus we have given to man a pedigree of prodigious length, but not, it may be said, of noble quality. The world, it has often been remarked, appears as if it had long been preparing for the advent of man: and this, in one sense is strictly true, for he owes his birth to a long line of progenitors. If any single link in this chain had never existed, man would not have been exactly what he now is. Unless we wilfully close our eyes, we may, with our present knowledge, approximately recognise our parentage; nor need we feel ashamed of it. The most humble organism is something much higher than the inorganic dust under our feet; and no one with an unbiased mind can study any living creature, however humble, without being struck with enthusiasm at its marvelous structure and properties" (Darwin 731).
In the above passage, Darwin tries to placate those who may find his ideas on the descent of man from "lower" species offensive. Essentially, he says that any living being is more noble than inanimate matter. Although this claim seems rather obvious, how can it necessarily be justified? Would it really satisfy his detractors? Wouldn't they simply say that humans are more noble than the sorts of "lower" species from which Darwin claims they have descended?
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