﻿THE 
  CRITERIA 
  OF 
  LIVINGNESS 
  101 
  

  

  a 
  condensed 
  individuality, 
  may 
  make 
  experiments 
  in 
  self- 
  

   expression, 
  which 
  we 
  call 
  variations 
  or 
  mutations. 
  Such, 
  

   at 
  least, 
  is 
  our 
  present 
  view 
  of 
  a 
  great 
  mystery. 
  

  

  What 
  has 
  all 
  this 
  to 
  do 
  with 
  Natural 
  Theology? 
  Little, 
  

   perhaps, 
  directly; 
  but 
  much 
  indirectly. 
  For 
  a 
  superficial 
  

   or 
  flimsy 
  conception 
  of 
  the 
  essential 
  characteristics 
  of 
  living 
  1 
  

   creatures 
  means 
  putting 
  a 
  bushel 
  over 
  one 
  of 
  the 
  great 
  

   wonders 
  of 
  the 
  world. 
  A 
  commonplace 
  view 
  of 
  Animate 
  

   Nature 
  is 
  an 
  impiety, 
  and 
  a 
  mechanical 
  view 
  is 
  a 
  gratuitous 
  

   complication 
  of 
  the 
  problems 
  of 
  existence. 
  Geniuses 
  like 
  

   Nietzsche 
  of 
  yesterday 
  and 
  D'Annunzio 
  of 
  to-day 
  have 
  ad- 
  

   mitted 
  the 
  darkening 
  of 
  their 
  eyes 
  by 
  a 
  mechanical 
  view 
  

   of 
  life, 
  accepted 
  as 
  scientific. 
  We 
  seek 
  to 
  show 
  that 
  it 
  need 
  

   not 
  be 
  accepted. 
  

  

  But 
  there 
  are 
  three 
  concluding 
  remarks 
  that 
  we 
  wish 
  to 
  

   make:--(a) 
  The 
  subject 
  is 
  not 
  yet 
  a 
  matter 
  of 
  exact 
  science, 
  

   and 
  we 
  do 
  not 
  say 
  that 
  ours 
  is 
  the 
  true 
  or 
  the 
  truest 
  way 
  

   of 
  stating 
  the 
  criteria 
  of 
  organisms. 
  It 
  is 
  the 
  best 
  answer 
  

   we 
  personally 
  can 
  give 
  for 
  the 
  time 
  being. 
  Some 
  would 
  

   state, 
  more 
  definitely 
  than 
  we 
  have 
  done, 
  that 
  all 
  organisms 
  

   are 
  psycho-physical 
  beings. 
  And 
  others 
  would 
  reject, 
  erro- 
  

   neously, 
  we 
  think, 
  all 
  such 
  categories 
  as 
  individuality, 
  be- 
  

   haviour, 
  experience, 
  experiment, 
  and 
  self-expression. 
  

  

  (6) 
  Secondly, 
  when 
  we 
  say 
  that 
  an 
  organism 
  has 
  the 
  

   capacity 
  of 
  retaining 
  its 
  integrity 
  in 
  spite 
  of 
  ceaseless 
  metab- 
  

   olism, 
  we 
  do 
  not 
  explain 
  this 
  capacity. 
  If 
  we 
  could 
  we 
  

   should 
  know 
  the 
  secret 
  of 
  life, 
  which 
  remains 
  hidden 
  from 
  us. 
  

  

  (c) 
  Thirdly, 
  our 
  description 
  of 
  the 
  general 
  characteris- 
  

   tics 
  of 
  living 
  creatures 
  remains 
  too 
  cold-blooded. 
  Like 
  every 
  

   analytical 
  and 
  formal 
  treatment 
  it 
  falls 
  far 
  short 
  of 
  giving 
  

   an 
  adequate 
  idea 
  of 
  life 
  in 
  its 
  concrete 
  fulness. 
  No 
  one 
  

   who 
  did 
  not 
  know 
  plants 
  and 
  animals 
  would 
  gather 
  from 
  

  

  