314 THEORETICAL BIOLOGY 



no internal time-standard capable of bringing together in 

 moment-groups events in the outer world, they live without 

 time, without past or future, in a perpetual present. 



The attempt has been made to refer the inner beat -rhythm 

 to mechanical arrangements ; but since even these are subject 

 to control of the animal's working, we cannot get on without 

 assuming a beat-forming impulse-system. 



CONGRUITY 



A carelessly chosen word may cause incalculable harm to 

 science, if it contain an analogy going beyond what is actually 

 known, and so give to research a misdirection. Such a word 

 is " adaptation." Originally by adaptation was meant only 

 the unshakable fact that all animals are suited to their 

 '/ environment. 



But the word contains an analogy with human activity, 

 i.e. of the making-themselves-suitable-to-one-another of two 

 objects A and B. So that the word introduced two sorts of 

 principle, which did not arise from observation of Nature. 

 Firstly, it is stated that A and B did not suit one another 

 from the beginning, and secondly, that the business of be- 

 coming suited requires a certain time. 



By the universal adoption of the word adaptation, men 

 of science were compelled to see in the mutual " harmonis- 

 ing " of organisms and their environment observed in Nature 

 a process which is gradually accomplished. Some relations 

 between organisms and their environment are better adjusted 

 than others. 



This assumption, however, was in direct contradiction 

 to the actual facts observed, for which the term " adaptation " 

 had been chosen. But as soon as the word had been 

 assimilated, the contradiction was overlooked, and the factors 



