XI FUNCTIONS AND IDEALS 297 



powerful, whether exercised by conscious will or some un- 

 conscious activity, to harmonise all the discordant elements 

 and tendencies of the personal character into one harmonious 

 whole, and to restrain all wayward, random activities which 

 are in conflict with that harmony. This ideal is far from 

 being realised universally in practice. Personality is still a 

 growing factor in the universe, and is merely in its infancy. 

 Its history is marked by the thousands of years, whereas that 

 of organic nature is marked by millions. Personality is as 

 yet but an inchoate activity of the whole, but nevertheless its 

 character is already distinct and well-marked; and its future 

 evolution is the largest ray of hope in human, if not 

 terrestrial, destiny. Its incomplete imperfect character is 

 largely responsible for the interminable disputes and differ- 

 ences among philosophers and theologians about the human 

 soul and human destiny. For so long as the true nature of 

 Personality, which is one form or another and whether 

 consciously or unconsciously, forms the ultimate subject 

 matter of all their dogmas and speculations, is still indefinite 

 and undetermined, it is not to be expected that they will be 

 agreed as to the fundamental postulates, or the proper 

 methods to be followed, or the correct inferences to be drawn 

 from the apparent facts. The scientist has the advantage 

 that he deals with older well-marked manifestations of 

 reality about whose definition and principal characteristics 

 there can be little dispute. But philosophers, whose subject 

 matter is still in process of growth and inward definition, find 

 themselves unable to agree about fundamentals largely be- 

 cause Nature herself is not yet certain about these funda- 

 mentals. However, even admittedly inchoate and infantile I 

 as Personality is, it is already sufficiently developed and dis- 

 tinct to enable us to consider its fundamental characteristics 

 and their bearings on the interpretation not only of human 

 conduct but of our conception of the universe in general.^ 

 And its fundamental character is just this wholeness which \ 

 justifies us in saying that Personality is a special activity or^ 

 form of the Whole. For consider for a moment what distin- 

 guishes the formed and developed personality from the un- 



