THE INDIRECT JUSTIFICATION OF ENTELECHY 237 



to consider the problem of the finiteness or infiniteness of 

 the universe ; for it was our endeavour in this chapter to 

 draw only such theoretical conclusions as are nearly related 

 to known facts. 



The " Moment of Regulation ' 



Let us then close this chapter with a certain considera- 

 tion which most intimately relates to biological facts in 

 general. 



In all phenomena of morphogenetic regulation and 

 adaptation and of acting we are by no means forced to 

 assume that entelechy by its counteracting inorganic 

 becoming works all along the single phases of the process in 

 question. In adaptation especially it would seem to be 

 quite sufficient for fulfilling the needs of the organism, if 

 entelechy were to break the inorganic chain of events at 

 one special point, the rest being inorganic becoming again. 

 In restitution and acting something very similar may happen. 

 The term " moment of regulation " would be well descriptive 

 of this one special point of happening where entelechy 

 sets in. But we do not know anything special about this 

 problem. 1 



1 Compare our remarks on catalysis, p. 186 f. 



