40 THEORETICAL BIOLOGY 



towards ourselves. When we do this, we increase only the 

 image on the retina ; our relation to the extended remains 

 what it was. 



This way of regarding the universe is essentially different 

 from that of the astronomers, who merely pile up infinite 

 space around us. By so doing, they disintegrate the unity of 

 the cosmic picture and substitute a dead abstraction for the 

 living reciprocal action of intuition. 



The extended forms, as it were, the invisible canvas on 

 which the panorama of the world surrounding each one of us 

 is painted, for it gives harmony and form to the local signs 

 which bear the colours. Vis-a-vis of the world-panorama 

 there is no other standpoint than that of our own subject, 

 for the subject, while observer, is at the same time the builder 

 of his world. An objective picture of the world that shall fit 

 all subjects equally well is of necessity impossible. 



THE SPACE OF ANIMALS 



The biologist will find much interest in applying to animals 

 what he has learned from study of human beings, and in 

 asking himself the question, " What does the space look like 

 that surrounds animals ? " 



He cannot do as the physicist, i.e. regard the space of 

 human beings as the only reality and, without more ado, 

 transplant animals into that : he must make a detailed 

 inquiry concerning the factors from which the space is com- 

 posed where lives the particular animal he is studying at the 

 moment. In order to do this, he must first make a clear 

 diagram of the visual space of a human being, and this diagram 

 can then be modified according to the faculties of the animal 

 under investigation. 



To make this diagram, stick together three circular pieces 

 of card-board at right angles to one another, to represent 



