The concept of evolutionary progress is entirely based on the notion that one thing can produce another--that is, of cause and effect. Such a concept is essential to practical life and to the practice of science; it must be closely enquired into, however, when we wish to know the final truth of things and not merely their appearance. When such enquiry is made, it will be found that the notion of causality is an a priori one, that it inheres in the framework of human thinking and thus prejudices the issue. The study of Kant, Max Planck, and others will show that this idea may be approached from another angle. Evolution as a theory rises and falls with causality; the destruction of the latter destroys the former. Consequently, from the viewpoint of ultimate truth, which is our concern, we may say that evolution is unproved and we must disregard it. The seeker after truth cannot concern himself with theories and fancies. He must deal in proved facts.
-- Notebooks Category 19: The Reign of Relativity > Chapter 4 : Time, Space, Causality > # 82
