﻿102 
  THE 
  CRITERIA 
  OF 
  LIVINGNESS 
  

  

  our 
  statement 
  any 
  idea 
  of 
  their 
  sparkle 
  and 
  subtlety 
  and 
  

   surprises. 
  For 
  that 
  requires 
  more 
  than 
  science. 
  We 
  must 
  

   use 
  our 
  everyday 
  and 
  our 
  red-letter 
  day 
  experience 
  of 
  liv- 
  

   ingness 
  both 
  in 
  ourselves 
  and 
  in 
  other 
  organisms, 
  wherewith 
  

   to 
  enliven 
  sympathetically 
  all 
  that 
  biology 
  can 
  give. 
  We 
  

   need 
  not 
  be 
  in 
  the 
  least 
  afraid 
  of 
  engendering 
  an 
  exaggerated 
  

   idea 
  of 
  the 
  wonder 
  of 
  life! 
  

  

  IN 
  CONCLUSION. 
  

  

  No 
  one 
  can 
  tell 
  us 
  wherein 
  a 
  living 
  organism 
  essentially 
  

   differs 
  from 
  a 
  not-living 
  thing. 
  The 
  one 
  is 
  alive, 
  the 
  other 
  is 
  

   not. 
  Perhaps 
  we 
  err 
  in 
  speaking 
  too 
  much 
  about 
  the 
  un- 
  

   read 
  riddle 
  of 
  life. 
  For 
  this 
  seems 
  to 
  imply 
  the 
  expectation 
  

   that 
  we 
  shall 
  be 
  able 
  some 
  day 
  to 
  explain 
  life 
  in 
  terms 
  of 
  

   something 
  else 
  an 
  expectation 
  which 
  is 
  not 
  likely 
  to 
  meet 
  

   with 
  anything 
  but 
  disappointment. 
  The 
  materialists 
  look 
  

   forward 
  to 
  explaining 
  or 
  re-describing 
  the 
  activity 
  we 
  call 
  

   living 
  in 
  terms 
  of 
  matter 
  and 
  motion. 
  The 
  animists 
  look 
  

   forward 
  to 
  doing 
  the 
  same 
  in 
  terms 
  of 
  soul. 
  But 
  it 
  is 
  not 
  at 
  

   all 
  evident 
  why 
  we 
  should 
  be 
  so 
  very 
  desirous 
  to 
  explain 
  

   life 
  in 
  terms 
  of 
  anything 
  else, 
  or 
  why 
  we 
  should 
  be 
  sanguine 
  

   in 
  making 
  the 
  attempt. 
  Life 
  is 
  an 
  aspect 
  of 
  reality 
  which 
  

   found 
  expression 
  when 
  there 
  were 
  evolved 
  those 
  particular 
  

   collocations 
  of 
  matter 
  and 
  energy 
  which 
  we 
  call 
  organisms, 
  

   just 
  as 
  Mind 
  is 
  an 
  aspect 
  of 
  reality 
  which 
  found 
  expression 
  

   when 
  nervous 
  systems 
  of 
  considerable 
  degree 
  of 
  complexity 
  

   were 
  established. 
  We 
  mean 
  by 
  Life 
  and 
  Mind 
  the 
  capacity 
  

   for 
  certain 
  kinds 
  of 
  activity 
  and 
  behaviour 
  and 
  internal 
  ex- 
  

   perimenting 
  with 
  ideas, 
  and 
  it 
  may 
  well 
  be 
  that 
  Life 
  and 
  

   Mind 
  are 
  alike 
  irreducible, 
  and 
  that 
  they 
  are 
  not 
  very 
  differ- 
  

   ent 
  from 
  one 
  another. 
  But 
  this 
  is 
  mere 
  speculation. 
  AYhat 
  

   is 
  practically 
  more 
  important 
  is 
  to 
  appreciate 
  the 
  character- 
  

  

  