达尔文本人对此也相当困惑。在他的著名的《物种起源》(Originof Species)一
书的第六章<理论的难题>(Difficulties of the Theory)的“极其完美和复杂
的器官”(Organs of Extreme Perfection and Complication)这一节中,他直言
不讳地写到,“眼睛有调节焦距、允许不同采光量和纠正球面象差和色差的无与伦
比的设计。我坦白地承认,认为眼睛是通过自然选择而形成的假说似乎是最荒谬可
笑的。”
( To suppose that the eye with all its Inimitable contrivancesfor adjusting
the focus to different distances, for admitting different amounts of light,
and for the correction of spherical andchromatic aberration, could have
been formed by natural selection,seems,I freely confess, absurd in the
highest degree.)