3. ENTELECHY IN ITS KELATION TO THE DISTRIBUTION 



OF GIVEN ELEMENTS 



a. SOME APPARENT CONTRADICTIONS BETWEEN ENTELECHY 

 AND THE TRUE SECOND AND THE THIRD EMPIRICAL 

 PRINCIPLE OF ENERGETICS 



The Problem 



Individual organic development in general, and the 

 differentiation of the harmonious-equipotential systems in 

 particular, seem to contradict the second and the third 

 principle of energetics at the first glance, and some features 

 which at least may be connected with acting seem to 

 contradict these principles also. Therefore the problem of 

 the relation of entelechy to the second and the third 

 principle of energetics requires yet further consideration. 1 



An harmonious-equipotential system, before differentia- 

 tion occurs, consists of elements which are equal to each 

 other in actuality, and equal in potentiality also, and out 

 of the sum of these elements there is formed by differentia- 

 tion another system, which shows an enormous diversity of 

 its constituents in actuality and perhaps in potentiality 



1 The fundamental problem to be discussed in this chapter was first seen 

 in my Naturbcgriffe, p. 180. But I only found a very unsatisfactory solution 

 when I wrote that book. 



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