﻿ORGANISM 
  AND 
  MECHANISM 
  135 
  

  

  which 
  astronomy 
  deals, 
  but 
  mainly 
  because 
  biology 
  has 
  to 
  

   deal 
  with 
  individualities 
  which 
  are 
  variable 
  and 
  spontaneous, 
  

   always 
  to 
  some 
  extent 
  unpredictable. 
  It 
  must 
  be 
  granted, 
  

   however, 
  that 
  there 
  has 
  been 
  a 
  strong 
  modern 
  movement 
  

   towards 
  exactness 
  even 
  in 
  the 
  most 
  difficult 
  departments 
  of 
  

   biology. 
  There 
  has 
  been 
  for 
  a 
  long 
  time 
  much 
  exact 
  science 
  

   in 
  comparative 
  anatomy 
  and 
  comparative 
  physiology, 
  but 
  

   the 
  recent 
  labours 
  of 
  the 
  biometricians 
  on 
  the 
  one 
  hand, 
  and 
  

   of 
  the 
  experimenters 
  in 
  genetics 
  on 
  the 
  other, 
  have 
  already 
  

   done 
  much 
  to 
  bring 
  the 
  study 
  of 
  evolution 
  problems 
  nearer 
  

   the 
  ideal 
  of 
  exact 
  science. 
  In 
  fact, 
  as 
  has 
  been 
  sagaciously 
  

   pointed 
  out, 
  biology 
  has 
  already 
  become 
  a 
  science 
  to 
  a 
  

   degree 
  that 
  Kant 
  deemed 
  impossible, 
  and 
  this 
  achievement 
  

   helps 
  to 
  keep 
  the 
  biologist 
  from 
  admitting 
  the 
  validity 
  of 
  

   Kant's 
  view 
  that 
  there 
  is 
  only 
  one 
  science 
  of 
  Nature. 
  

  

  8. 
  Answers 
  to 
  Criticisms. 
  

  

  Our 
  argument 
  may 
  perhaps 
  be 
  strengthened 
  by 
  meeting 
  

   some 
  criticisms 
  brought 
  against 
  what 
  may 
  be 
  called 
  the 
  bio- 
  

   logical 
  position. 
  

  

  (a) 
  It 
  has 
  been 
  suggested 
  that 
  those 
  who 
  think 
  that 
  vital 
  

   phenomena 
  require 
  special 
  biological 
  categories 
  are 
  under- 
  

   rating 
  what 
  physico-chemical 
  material 
  systems 
  can 
  do. 
  

   " 
  Many 
  a 
  machine 
  is 
  constructed 
  to 
  oil 
  itself 
  the 
  more 
  copi- 
  

   ously 
  when 
  it 
  works 
  the 
  faster, 
  and 
  the 
  printing-press, 
  as 
  

   we 
  urge 
  it 
  to 
  put 
  out 
  more 
  newspapers 
  on 
  the 
  one 
  side, 
  

   pulls 
  in 
  more 
  blank 
  paper 
  on 
  the 
  other 
  ' 
  ' 
  (D'Arcy 
  W. 
  Thomp- 
  

   son, 
  Life 
  and 
  Finite 
  Individuality, 
  p. 
  37). 
  ISFow 
  there 
  is 
  

   undoubted 
  utility 
  in 
  comparing 
  a 
  living 
  creature 
  with 
  a 
  

   machine, 
  especially 
  a 
  machine 
  with 
  automatic 
  regulatory 
  

   arrangements. 
  Both 
  are 
  systems 
  effecting 
  the 
  transforma- 
  

   tion 
  of 
  matter 
  and 
  energy; 
  both 
  illustrate 
  the 
  co-operation 
  

  

  