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  ADAPTIVENESS 
  AND 
  PURPOSIVENESS 
  

  

  seems 
  to 
  us 
  to 
  have 
  been, 
  it 
  remains 
  very 
  wonderful 
  that 
  

   living 
  creatures 
  should 
  be 
  so 
  adaptable, 
  should 
  have 
  so 
  rich 
  

   a 
  capacity 
  of 
  supplying 
  the 
  raw 
  materials 
  for 
  adaptations. 
  

  

  3. 
  7s 
  There 
  'Purpose' 
  in 
  the 
  Inorganic 
  Domain? 
  

  

  Leaving 
  in 
  the 
  meantime 
  the 
  fact 
  of 
  almost 
  universal 
  

   adaptiveness 
  in 
  the 
  realm 
  of 
  organisms, 
  let 
  us 
  turn 
  to 
  the 
  

   difficult 
  problem 
  of 
  purpose. 
  In 
  the 
  inorganic 
  domain 
  we 
  

   see 
  the 
  river 
  carving 
  its 
  course 
  in 
  the 
  rock, 
  the 
  wind 
  blowing 
  

   the 
  snow 
  into 
  beautiful 
  wreaths, 
  the 
  various 
  weathering 
  proc- 
  

   esses 
  making 
  scenery, 
  but 
  these 
  results 
  are 
  not 
  adaptive 
  to 
  

   a 
  future, 
  and 
  keeping 
  to 
  things 
  as 
  they 
  are, 
  we 
  feel 
  no 
  reason 
  

   to 
  speak 
  of 
  purpose. 
  The 
  concept 
  of 
  purpose 
  is 
  irrelevant 
  

   in 
  the 
  domain 
  of 
  the 
  inorganic 
  where 
  there 
  are 
  no 
  individu- 
  

   alities 
  and 
  no 
  alternatives, 
  but 
  rigorous 
  concatenation 
  and 
  

   mechanical 
  necessitation 
  everywhere. 
  

  

  The 
  hylozoist 
  beholding 
  the 
  stream, 
  flowing 
  like 
  an 
  endless 
  

   snake, 
  may 
  point 
  to 
  its 
  enduring 
  purpose. 
  It 
  sweeps 
  some 
  

   obstacles 
  away 
  and 
  patiently 
  undermines 
  others 
  ; 
  it 
  bides 
  its 
  

   time 
  with 
  patience 
  and 
  overflows 
  what 
  it 
  cannot 
  circumvent 
  ; 
  

   it 
  consents 
  to 
  sinuous 
  meanderings, 
  and 
  then, 
  on 
  a 
  day 
  of 
  

   flood, 
  cuts 
  off 
  a 
  huge 
  salient; 
  it 
  will 
  even 
  submit 
  to 
  an 
  

   apparent 
  death, 
  becoming 
  an 
  underground 
  current, 
  if 
  it 
  may 
  

   thereby 
  accomplish 
  its 
  end 
  of 
  reaching 
  the 
  sea. 
  But 
  this 
  

   remains 
  fanciful 
  and 
  unconvincing: 
  the 
  stream 
  is 
  not 
  a 
  

   very 
  long 
  snake 
  nor 
  an 
  individuality 
  in 
  any 
  sense, 
  it 
  has 
  

   no 
  alternative 
  in 
  anything 
  it 
  does 
  ; 
  it 
  is 
  not 
  in 
  the 
  true 
  sense 
  

   an 
  agent. 
  

  

  Two 
  saving 
  clauses 
  are 
  necessary. 
  It 
  is 
  obvious 
  that 
  the 
  

   inorganic 
  domain 
  is 
  not 
  chaotic, 
  nor 
  incoherent, 
  nor 
  ineffec- 
  

   tive. 
  But 
  it 
  is 
  without 
  endeavour. 
  It 
  is 
  orderly 
  and 
  stable, 
  

   made 
  to 
  last, 
  able 
  to 
  assume 
  forms 
  of 
  great 
  beauty, 
  with 
  

  

  