CORRESPONDENCE BETWEEN LIFE AND ITS CIRCUMSTANCES. 93 



by a particular change in it, and the cases last named, in 

 which the constant actions occurring within an organism 

 imply some constant actions occurring without it; we see 

 that in both, the changes or processes displayed by a living 

 body are specially related to the changes or processes in its 

 environment. And here we have the needful supplement to 

 our conception of Life. Adding this all-important charac 

 teristic, our conception of Life becomes The definite com 

 bination of heterogeneous changes, both simultaneous and 

 successive, in correspondence with external co-existences and 

 sequences. That the full significance of this addition may be 

 seen, it will be necessary to glance at the correspondence 

 under some of its leading aspects.* 



28. Neglecting minor requirements, the actions going 



* Speaking of &quot; the general idea of life,&quot; M. Comte says : &quot; Cette idee 

 suppose, en effet, non-seulement celle d un etre organise de maniere a corn- 

 porter 1 ctat vital, rnais aussi cclle, non moins indispensable, d un certain, 

 ensemble d influences extericures propres a son accompHssement. Une telle 

 harmonic entre 1 ctre vivant et le milieu corrcspondant, caracterisc evidem- 

 ment la condition fondamentale de la vie.&quot; Commenting on de Blainville s 

 definition of life, which he adopts, he says : &quot; Cctte lumineuse d6finition ne 

 me parait laisser rien d important a desirer, si ce n est une indication plus 

 directe et plus explicite dc ces deux conditions fondamentales co-relatives, 

 neccssairemcnt inseparables de 1 etat vivant, un organism* determine et un 

 milieu convenable.&quot; It is strange that M. Comte should have thus recog 

 nized the necessity of a harmony between an organism and its environment, 

 as a condition essential to life, and should not have seen that the continuous 

 maintenance of such inner actions as will counterbalance outer actions, con 

 stitutes life. 



[When the original edition was published Dr. J. II. Bridges wrote to me 

 paying that in the PoUtique Positive, Comte had developed his conception 

 further. On p. 413, denying &quot;le pr6tendu antagonisme des corps vivants 

 envers leurs milieux inorganiques,&quot; he says &quot; au lieu dc ce conflit, on a reconnu 

 bientot que cette relation necessaire constitue une condition fondamentalu de 

 la vie reelle, dont la notion systematique consiste dans une intime conciliation 

 permanente entre la spontaneity interieure et la fatalite exterieure.&quot; Still, 

 this &quot; conciliation permanenle &quot; seems to be a &quot;condition&quot; to life; not that 

 varying adjustment of changes which life consists in maintaining. In presence 

 of an ambiguity, the interpretation which agrees with his previous statement 

 must be chosen.] 



