﻿vi 
  PREFACE 
  

  

  of 
  intellectually 
  enjoying 
  the 
  works 
  of 
  His 
  hands? 
  If 
  

   Nature 
  is 
  expressing 
  a 
  thought, 
  may 
  we 
  not 
  try 
  to 
  spell 
  this 
  

   out 
  by 
  patient 
  observation? 
  Even 
  if 
  we 
  have 
  no 
  philosophi- 
  

   cal 
  or 
  religious 
  preconceptions 
  of 
  this 
  sort, 
  we 
  are 
  likely 
  to 
  

   understand 
  our 
  own 
  life 
  better 
  by 
  inquiring 
  into 
  the 
  order 
  

   of 
  things 
  in 
  which 
  we 
  are 
  immersed, 
  sometimes, 
  perhaps, 
  

   almost 
  submerged. 
  

  

  The 
  aim 
  of 
  this 
  study 
  of 
  Animate 
  Nature 
  is 
  to 
  state 
  the 
  

   general 
  results 
  of 
  biological 
  inquiry 
  which 
  must 
  be 
  taken 
  ac- 
  

   count 
  of 
  if 
  we 
  are 
  to 
  think 
  of 
  organic 
  Nature 
  as 
  a 
  whole 
  and 
  

   in 
  relation 
  to 
  the 
  rest 
  of 
  our 
  experience. 
  Both 
  among 
  care- 
  

   ful 
  thinkers 
  and 
  careless 
  passers-by 
  views 
  of 
  organic 
  Nature 
  

   are 
  held, 
  in 
  regard, 
  for 
  instance, 
  to 
  the 
  organism 
  as 
  mechan- 
  

   ism, 
  the 
  determinism 
  of 
  heredity, 
  the 
  struggle 
  for 
  existence, 
  

   which 
  seem 
  to 
  the 
  author 
  to 
  be 
  lacking 
  in 
  accuracy 
  or 
  in 
  

   adequacy, 
  which 
  therefore 
  tend 
  to 
  involve 
  unnecessary 
  diffi- 
  

   culties 
  in 
  systematisation 
  and 
  perhaps 
  gratuitous 
  confusion 
  

   in 
  conduct. 
  It 
  has 
  been 
  declared 
  by 
  some 
  that 
  the 
  world 
  of 
  

   life 
  is 
  " 
  a 
  dismal 
  cockpit 
  ", 
  that 
  in 
  the 
  behaviour 
  of 
  living 
  

   creatures 
  mind 
  is 
  a 
  negligible 
  quantity, 
  that 
  the 
  study 
  of 
  

   heredity 
  must 
  leave 
  us 
  fatalistic, 
  and 
  that 
  evolution 
  is 
  largely 
  

   " 
  a 
  chapter 
  of 
  accidents 
  ". 
  Such 
  views 
  engender 
  what 
  may 
  

   be 
  called 
  natural 
  irreligion, 
  and 
  it 
  is 
  the 
  object 
  of 
  this 
  course 
  

   to 
  show 
  that 
  such 
  views 
  are 
  scientifically 
  untenable. 
  

  

  Nature 
  doubtless 
  presents 
  many 
  puzzling 
  features, 
  but 
  care 
  

   must 
  be 
  taken 
  to 
  make 
  sure 
  that 
  what 
  seem 
  to 
  be 
  uncon- 
  

   formabilities 
  are 
  not 
  due 
  to 
  the 
  inadequacy 
  of 
  our 
  knowl- 
  

   edge. 
  While 
  trying 
  to 
  keep 
  wishes 
  from 
  fathering 
  thoughts, 
  

   we 
  have 
  been 
  led 
  in 
  our 
  study 
  to 
  see 
  that 
  the 
  general 
  results 
  of 
  

   Biology, 
  when 
  stated 
  with 
  accuracy, 
  are 
  not 
  out 
  of 
  line 
  with 
  

   transcendental 
  conclusions 
  reached 
  along 
  other 
  paths, 
  con- 
  

   clusions 
  which 
  different 
  minds 
  express 
  in 
  different 
  forms. 
  

  

  