THE INDIRECT JUSTIFICATION OF ENTELECHY 179 



and in a specific arrangement ; then it is absolutely 

 determined, by the so-called " potential " and by the mass 

 of each of these constituents, what is to happen until 

 equilibrium is reached. We have chosen a chemical and 

 aggregative system as our instance, because in the organism 

 the single phenomena of becoming that can actually be 

 observed are such as to consist in chemical and aggregative 

 specificities. Let us now study the behaviour of a system 

 consisting of chemical and aggregative constituents, as 

 before, but forming at the same time part of a living 

 organism. Our doctrine of entelechy teaches us that the 

 behaviour of this system is not exclusively dependent on 

 the potential and mass of the constituents, but on something 

 further. In what possible relation is this something able 

 to stand with regard to the potentials of the constituents 

 of the system ? It is of the greatest importance to find an 

 adequate answer to this question, and I hope to be able 

 to give at least the beginning of such an answer in what 

 follows. 



The Action of Entelechy in " suspending " possible Becoming 



Entelechy is not able to change the chemical potentials 

 of the elemental constituents of the system in a qualitative 

 way : at least we have no grounds for such an assumption, 

 which would imply, for instance, that entelechy could 

 make sulphuric acid (H 2 S0 4 ) if it had only the chlorides 

 of sodium and potassium at its disposal. Entelechy, as 

 far as we know, at least, is limited in its acting by many 

 specificities of inorganic nature, among which are the 

 specificities included under the phrase " chemical element" 



