THE SPECIES 241 



whole : it is a real natural product, characterised by the fact 

 that the individuals composing it are not in a condition to 

 cross with those of another species. But is the species also 

 a natural product arranged by some plan, or is it merely 

 an object produced by mechanical causes ? 



We must bring forward proof that the species as a whole 

 expresses life in a unified way, and that in this expression 

 somehow the parts determine the whole and the whole the 

 parts ; and this can be shown only if they work in common. 



It is not sufficient to show that there are functioning 

 unities, consisting of a number of individuals, as in the case 

 of the family or the animal community. Such instances 

 merely prove that a whole which will function can be 

 organised from a number of animals. On the other hand, it 

 is no proof to the contrary that we as yet do not know 

 anything about what the species performs, for so far no one 

 has gone into the question. 



Strange to say, there is only one species of which we 

 assume as obvious that it has a common task or performance, 

 and that is the species " man." 



In especial, the existence of dark-coloured races of men 

 in the hot zones and of light- coloured in the cold zones in- 

 dicates that to them all is set the common task of " dominat- 

 ing " the globe. Since the individual human being cannot 

 simultaneously have a white skin and a black, it seems obvious 

 to us that, to attain the common aim, there must be separate 

 beings with different properties. 



This simple instance suggests to us that the diversity of 

 individuals within a species cannot be referred merely to a 

 whim of chance, but may be conditioned by a higher plan. 



If we could build up together the function-circles of all 

 the individuals of one species, we should get the common 

 surrounding-world of the whole species, and, in correspondence 

 with the deviations of the individuals, this would be larger 



Q 



