﻿THE 
  UNIQUENESS 
  OF 
  LIFE 
  159 
  

  

  tudinous 
  with 
  all 
  its 
  tides 
  and 
  currents 
  and 
  great 
  and 
  little 
  

   waves, 
  constitute 
  a 
  mechanism 
  ; 
  the 
  heavens 
  themselves, 
  the 
  

   sun 
  and 
  moon 
  and 
  all 
  the 
  little 
  stars, 
  are 
  a 
  glorious 
  mecha- 
  

   nism. 
  The 
  whole 
  material 
  aspect 
  of 
  the 
  universe 
  is 
  a 
  mecha- 
  

   nism 
  ; 
  we 
  know 
  not 
  how 
  it 
  has 
  its 
  being, 
  but 
  we 
  know 
  that 
  it 
  

   lives 
  and 
  moves 
  obedient 
  to 
  everlasting 
  laws; 
  and 
  the 
  same 
  

   Benedicite 
  Dominum 
  is 
  addressed 
  to 
  the 
  Showers 
  and 
  Dew 
  

   and 
  to 
  the 
  Winds 
  of 
  God 
  as 
  to 
  all 
  that 
  move 
  in 
  the 
  waters 
  

   and 
  all 
  that 
  move 
  in 
  the 
  air, 
  and 
  to 
  all 
  the 
  Beasts 
  and 
  Cattle, 
  

   and 
  unto 
  the 
  Children 
  of 
  Men 
  ' 
  (D'Arcy 
  Thompson, 
  Life 
  

   and 
  Finite 
  Individuality, 
  p. 
  52). 
  

  

  This 
  is 
  admirably 
  said, 
  yet 
  we 
  do 
  not 
  think 
  that 
  the 
  

   category 
  of 
  ( 
  mechanism 
  ' 
  exhausts 
  the 
  reality 
  of 
  the 
  earth 
  

   and 
  the 
  heavens, 
  still 
  less 
  that 
  of 
  the 
  flower 
  in 
  the 
  crannied 
  

   wall. 
  It 
  is 
  mainly 
  a 
  matter 
  of 
  method 
  : 
  Are 
  mechanical 
  

   categories 
  sufficient 
  in 
  biology 
  or 
  must 
  we 
  have 
  biological 
  

   categories 
  as 
  well 
  ? 
  For 
  practical 
  purposes, 
  moreover, 
  the 
  

   theory 
  of 
  organism 
  transcending 
  mechanism 
  is 
  to 
  be 
  recom- 
  

   mended. 
  It 
  has 
  pragmatic 
  sanction. 
  

  

  6. 
  Descriptive 
  or 
  Methodological 
  Vitalism: 
  the 
  

  

  ' 
  Biological 
  J 
  View. 
  

  

  Looking 
  backwards, 
  we 
  cannot 
  accept 
  the 
  view 
  that 
  the 
  

   study 
  of 
  animal 
  behaviour 
  is 
  just 
  the 
  study 
  of 
  very 
  intricate 
  

   and 
  at 
  present 
  insoluble 
  problems 
  in 
  chemistry 
  and 
  physics; 
  

   we 
  cannot 
  accept 
  the 
  view 
  that 
  organisms 
  exhibit 
  a 
  new 
  kind 
  

   of 
  physical 
  energy 
  or 
  several 
  of 
  them 
  ; 
  and 
  we 
  cannot 
  accept 
  

   the 
  thoroughgoing 
  vitalistic 
  theory 
  of 
  an 
  Entelechy. 
  What, 
  

   then, 
  is 
  our 
  position 
  ? 
  

  

  We 
  wish 
  primarily 
  and 
  scientifically 
  to 
  stand 
  for 
  what 
  

   may 
  be 
  called 
  ( 
  descriptive 
  ' 
  or 
  l 
  methodological 
  ' 
  vitalism. 
  

   Unable 
  to 
  attain 
  any 
  discernment 
  of 
  the 
  essence 
  of 
  the 
  differ- 
  

  

  