﻿344 
  ADAPTIVENESS 
  AND 
  PURPOSIVENESS 
  

  

  for 
  a 
  purpose, 
  what 
  is 
  that 
  purpose 
  ? 
  If 
  there 
  be 
  design 
  

   what 
  does 
  it 
  promise? 
  

  

  The 
  general 
  outcome 
  of 
  the 
  present 
  discussion 
  is 
  an 
  ap- 
  

   preciation 
  not 
  only 
  of 
  the 
  pervasiveness 
  of 
  mentality 
  in 
  the 
  

   realm 
  of 
  organisms, 
  but 
  of 
  all-penetrating 
  purpose 
  as 
  well. 
  

   Looking 
  back 
  imaginatively 
  on 
  the 
  course 
  of 
  evolution, 
  we 
  

   have 
  seen 
  the 
  emergence 
  of 
  an 
  aspect 
  of 
  reality 
  which 
  we 
  

   call 
  Life, 
  and 
  another 
  aspect 
  of 
  reality 
  which 
  we 
  call 
  Mind, 
  

   now 
  we 
  are 
  getting 
  glimpses 
  of 
  the 
  emergence 
  of 
  another 
  

   aspect 
  of 
  reality 
  which 
  we 
  call 
  Purpose. 
  Of 
  this 
  we 
  shall 
  

   get 
  a 
  larger 
  view 
  when 
  we 
  come 
  to 
  consider 
  the 
  evolutionary 
  

   process 
  as 
  a 
  whole. 
  

  

  In 
  the 
  meantime, 
  however, 
  we 
  have 
  gained 
  something. 
  

   For 
  while 
  there 
  may 
  be 
  difference 
  of 
  opinion 
  as 
  to 
  terms 
  

   and 
  concepts, 
  it 
  has 
  become 
  increasingly 
  clear 
  that 
  animals, 
  

   and 
  plants 
  too, 
  are 
  creatures 
  with 
  purposeful 
  or 
  purposive 
  

   lives, 
  and 
  are 
  not 
  to 
  be 
  banished 
  from 
  the 
  Realm 
  of 
  Ends. 
  

   This 
  enriches 
  our 
  conception 
  of 
  life. 
  It 
  is 
  a 
  contribution 
  

   towards 
  a 
  Philosophy 
  of 
  Nature. 
  It 
  makes 
  our 
  view 
  of 
  

   Nature 
  and 
  our 
  view 
  of 
  Human 
  Life 
  more 
  conformable. 
  

  

  In 
  any 
  case 
  we 
  trust 
  that 
  our 
  study 
  so 
  far 
  may 
  have 
  con- 
  

   tributed 
  to 
  a 
  deeper 
  appreciation 
  of 
  the 
  Realm 
  of 
  Organisms, 
  

   in 
  which 
  we 
  are, 
  to 
  say 
  the 
  least, 
  no 
  aliens. 
  AYe 
  have 
  sought 
  

   to 
  envisage 
  the 
  variety 
  of 
  life 
  hundreds 
  of 
  thousands 
  of 
  

   distinct 
  individualities 
  or 
  species; 
  the 
  abundance 
  of 
  life,- 
  

   like 
  a 
  river 
  always 
  tending 
  to 
  overflow 
  its 
  banks; 
  the 
  dif- 
  

   fusion 
  of 
  life, 
  exploring 
  and 
  exploiting 
  every 
  corner 
  of 
  land 
  

   and 
  sea; 
  the 
  insurgence 
  of 
  life, 
  self-assertive, 
  persistent, 
  

   defiant, 
  continually 
  achieving 
  the 
  apparently 
  impossible; 
  

   the 
  cyclical 
  development 
  of 
  life, 
  ever 
  passing 
  from 
  birth, 
  

   through 
  love, 
  to 
  death; 
  the 
  intricacy 
  of 
  life, 
  every 
  cell 
  a 
  

   microcosm; 
  the 
  subtlety 
  of 
  life, 
  every 
  drop 
  of 
  blood 
  an 
  

  

  