180 SCIENCE AND PHILOSOPHY OF THE ORGANISM 



Entelechy is also unable to cause reactions between chemical 

 compounds which never are known to react in the inorganic 

 world. In short, entelechy is altogether unable to create 

 differences of intensity of any kind. 



But entelechy is able, so far as we know from the facts 

 concerned in restitution and adaptation, to suspend for as 

 long a period as it wants any one of all the reactions which 

 are possible with such compounds as are present, and which 

 would happen without entelechy. And entelechy may 

 regulate this suspending of reactions now in one direction 

 and now in the other, suspending and permitting possible 

 becoming whenever required for its purposes. Now, after 

 all we have said, this suspending of affinity, so to say, is 

 to be considered as a temporary compensation of factors of 

 " intensity ' which would otherwise be uncompensated, and 

 would lead to immediate becoming. This faculty of a 

 temporary suspension of inorganic becoming is to be 

 regarded as the most essential ontological characteristic 

 of entelechy. Because it possesses this faculty without 

 being of the nature of an energy at the same time, entelechy 

 is the non-physico-chemical agent. 



Let it be well understood : we do not admit that 

 entelechy may transform potentials into actual happening 

 by means of a so-called " Auslosung " in any sense. 

 Entelechy, according to our view, is quite unable to 

 remove any kind of an " obstacle " to happening, such as 

 is removed in catalysis ; for such a removal would require 

 energy, and entelechy is non-energetical. We only admit 

 that entelechy may set free into actuality what it has 

 itself prevented from actuality, what it has suspended 

 hitherto. 



