﻿THE 
  UNIQUENESS 
  OF 
  LIFE 
  157 
  

  

  not 
  fair 
  samples 
  of 
  the 
  inorganic 
  world. 
  An 
  ingenious 
  

   machine, 
  like 
  a 
  type-writing 
  or 
  a 
  calculating 
  machine, 
  is 
  

   an 
  elaborated 
  tool, 
  an 
  extended 
  hand, 
  and 
  has 
  inside 
  of 
  it, 
  so 
  

   to 
  speak, 
  a 
  human 
  thought. 
  It 
  is 
  because 
  of 
  these 
  qualities 
  

   that 
  it 
  is 
  a 
  little 
  like 
  an 
  organism. 
  Practically, 
  however, 
  

   most 
  of 
  those 
  who 
  have 
  an 
  intimate 
  acquaintance 
  with 
  living 
  

   creatures 
  will 
  agree 
  with 
  Driesch 
  in 
  the 
  negative 
  part 
  of 
  

   his 
  position 
  that 
  their 
  behaviour 
  is 
  not 
  very 
  like 
  the 
  work- 
  

   ing 
  of 
  machines. 
  For 
  certain 
  purposes 
  it 
  is 
  not 
  amiss 
  to 
  

   think 
  of 
  the 
  organism 
  as 
  an 
  engine, 
  but 
  it 
  is 
  a 
  self-stoking, 
  

   self-repairing, 
  self 
  -preservative, 
  self-adjusting, 
  self-increas- 
  

   ing, 
  self- 
  reproducing 
  engine 
  ! 
  

  

  (c) 
  Dr. 
  J. 
  S. 
  Haldane 
  states 
  another 
  objection. 
  " 
  In 
  order 
  

   to 
  ' 
  guide 
  ' 
  effectually 
  the 
  excessively 
  complex 
  physical 
  and 
  

   chemical 
  phenomena 
  occurring 
  in 
  living 
  material, 
  and 
  at 
  

   many 
  different 
  parts 
  of 
  a 
  complex 
  organism, 
  the 
  vital 
  prin- 
  

   ciple 
  would 
  apparently 
  require 
  to 
  possess 
  a 
  superhuman 
  

   knowledge 
  of 
  these 
  processes. 
  Yet 
  the 
  vital 
  principle 
  is 
  

   assumed 
  to 
  act 
  unconsciously. 
  The 
  very 
  nature 
  of 
  the 
  vital- 
  

   istic 
  assumption 
  is 
  thus 
  totally 
  unintelligible." 
  Because 
  we 
  

   do 
  not 
  understand 
  vital 
  phenomena 
  in 
  terms 
  of 
  mechanism, 
  

   we 
  postulate 
  an 
  Entelechy, 
  only 
  to 
  discover 
  that 
  we 
  have 
  no 
  

   idea 
  how 
  the 
  Entelechy 
  can 
  know 
  what 
  to 
  do. 
  We 
  believe 
  

   that 
  a 
  dog's 
  appreciation 
  of 
  the 
  meaning 
  of 
  certain 
  circum- 
  

   stances 
  is 
  real 
  and 
  an 
  effective 
  factor 
  in 
  its 
  ensuing 
  be- 
  

   haviour, 
  and 
  there 
  are 
  various 
  ways 
  of 
  thinking 
  of 
  the 
  dog's 
  

   intelligent 
  behaviour 
  so 
  that 
  it 
  does 
  not 
  appear 
  magical 
  or 
  

   miraculous, 
  but 
  we 
  find 
  it 
  difficult 
  to 
  think 
  of 
  the 
  Entelechy's 
  

   appreciation 
  of 
  an 
  intricate 
  chemical 
  situation 
  within 
  the 
  

   body. 
  Even 
  if 
  we 
  suppose 
  a 
  hierarchy 
  of 
  psychoids 
  with 
  

   division 
  of 
  labour, 
  acting 
  like 
  the 
  various 
  men 
  about 
  a 
  rail- 
  

   way 
  station, 
  some 
  of 
  whom 
  put 
  people 
  into 
  the 
  proper 
  trains, 
  

  

  