﻿ADAPTIVENESS 
  AND 
  PURPOSIVENESS 
  331 
  

  

  an 
  interesting 
  tendency 
  to 
  complexify 
  under 
  certain 
  condi- 
  

   tions, 
  but 
  it 
  does 
  not 
  reveal 
  any 
  resident 
  operative 
  purpose. 
  

   It 
  will 
  be 
  understood 
  that 
  by 
  ' 
  purpose 
  ' 
  in 
  this 
  discussion 
  

   we 
  mean 
  intention, 
  conative 
  endeavour, 
  anticipation 
  of 
  an 
  

   end. 
  We 
  are 
  not 
  taking 
  account 
  of 
  the 
  employment 
  of 
  the 
  

   word 
  to 
  denote 
  use 
  or 
  efficiency, 
  as 
  when 
  people 
  say 
  that 
  

   the 
  purpose 
  of 
  the 
  elephant's 
  trunk 
  is 
  to 
  be 
  a 
  hand, 
  or 
  that 
  

   a 
  man 
  worked 
  to 
  good 
  purpose. 
  

  

  The 
  other 
  saving 
  clause 
  is, 
  that 
  we 
  are 
  not 
  at 
  present 
  

   raising 
  the 
  question 
  of 
  the 
  part 
  that 
  the 
  inorganic 
  has 
  played 
  

   in 
  the 
  world-wide 
  genetic 
  process 
  in 
  making 
  organisms 
  pos- 
  

   sible, 
  and 
  still 
  plays 
  in 
  affording 
  a 
  basis 
  for, 
  and 
  an 
  oppo- 
  

   sition 
  to 
  the 
  activities 
  of 
  organisms 
  and 
  personalities. 
  The 
  

   way 
  in 
  which 
  a 
  cradle 
  and 
  a 
  home 
  for 
  organisms 
  was 
  made 
  

   " 
  when 
  as 
  yet 
  there 
  was 
  none 
  of 
  them 
  ' 
  is 
  very 
  remarkable 
  

   (see 
  Henderson, 
  The 
  Order 
  of 
  Nature, 
  1917), 
  and 
  will 
  en- 
  

   gage 
  our 
  attention 
  later 
  on. 
  This 
  may 
  point 
  to 
  there 
  hav- 
  

   ing 
  been 
  a 
  purpose 
  in 
  the 
  institution 
  of 
  Nature, 
  but 
  not 
  to 
  

   there 
  being 
  a 
  resident 
  operative 
  purpose 
  in 
  inorganic 
  trans- 
  

   formations. 
  

  

  4. 
  Purposefulness 
  and 
  Purposiveness 
  in 
  Human 
  

  

  Behaviour. 
  

  

  The 
  other 
  pole 
  is 
  to 
  be 
  found 
  in 
  human 
  affairs, 
  where 
  

   purposefulness 
  dominates. 
  When 
  we 
  give 
  time 
  and 
  energy 
  

   to 
  some 
  scheme 
  or 
  cause, 
  we 
  know 
  that 
  what 
  we 
  do 
  is 
  actu- 
  

   ated 
  by 
  a 
  clearly 
  conceived 
  purpose. 
  No 
  one 
  can 
  make 
  sense 
  

   of 
  our 
  life 
  who 
  does 
  not 
  recognise 
  this, 
  even 
  if 
  he 
  call 
  it 
  

   the 
  method 
  in 
  our 
  madness. 
  An 
  anticipation, 
  an 
  ideal, 
  with 
  

   an 
  associated 
  tension 
  of 
  endeavour 
  and 
  glow 
  of 
  feeling, 
  does 
  

   as 
  a 
  matter 
  of 
  fact 
  rule 
  our 
  will 
  on 
  many 
  occasions. 
  If 
  

   this 
  conceived 
  purpose 
  is 
  not 
  real, 
  " 
  with 
  hands 
  and 
  feet 
  ", 
  

  

  