4 o 



ZOOLOGY 



Colonies of 

 polyps 



Human 

 personality 



tion, not even a normal budding process, but a violent 

 tearing apart of the individual, the parts of which con- 

 tinue to function nevertheless. A man cannot be so 

 treated, and survive ; but there is every transition be- 

 tween the process of healing in a wound and that of 

 complete regeneration of two individuals upon division. 



6. The individual is elusive also in those lower forms 

 of life which exist in groups or colonies, such as the 

 zoophytes or hydroid polyps. These animals occur in 

 numbers on a common stem, through which nourish- 

 ment passes. On account of this arrangement it is 

 possible for the individuals to assume very special 

 functions, some for feeding, some for defense, others for 

 reproduction. Are they really separate "persons"? 

 In spite of their intimate union, they must be so con- 

 sidered, and indeed in many species the reproductive 

 persons at length float away as independent organisms. 



7. All these considerations show how difficult it is to 

 define the individual in biological terms ; yet we have 

 no doubt about the "oneness" of our personality. 

 There is a side to this question which transcends bio- 

 logical reasoning; but the biological facts, so far as 

 they go, are of the highest significance. 



