THE INDIRECT JUSTIFICATION OF ENTELECHY 263 



the type of manifestations of entelechy has changed in the 

 course of their continuous line. But we never come to any 

 kind of beginning. 



In any case it must appear very strange that life is 

 only known to us in immediate relation with very complex 

 chemical compounds of a few classes. Why does not 

 entelechy act upon the elements of matter directly ? Or 

 is the present state of relation between entelechy and 

 matter a consequence of the long time that life has 

 continuously existed ? Has entelechy, so to say, altered 

 its behaviour with regard to matter ? Or are we simply 

 in ignorance of other types of its manifestations ? 



And so the series of questions and problems might be 

 continued but there are no answers. 



It seems to me that this is the right place to point out 

 that the whole problem of the origin of life on earth 

 is of far less theoretical importance than the problem of 

 the laws of life, though the common opinion almost always 

 argues otherwise. For this reason we have devoted our- 

 selves so closely to the study of the vital law and all 

 its consequences. The solution of all problems of secondary 

 importance will follow the knowledge of the law some 

 day ; but without this knowledge no real solution of those 

 problems would ever be possible. 



