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 " the general idea of life" M. Comte says : " Cette idee 

 suppose, en effet, non-seulement celle d'un tre organise" de maniere a corn- 

 porter 1'etat vital, mais aussi celle, non moins indispensable, d'un certain 

 ensemble d'influences extericures propres a son accomplissement. Tine telle 

 harmonic entre 1'etre vivant et le milieu correspondent, caractdrisc evidem- 

 ment la condition fondamentale de la vie." Commenting on de Blainville's 

 definition of life, which he adopts, he says : " Cette lumineuse definition ne 

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

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

 n6cessairement inseparables de 1'etat vivant, un organisme determine^ et un 

 milieu convenable." 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. H. Bridges wrote to me 

 saying that in the Politique Positive, Comte had developed his conception 

 further. On p. 413, denying "le prdtendu antagonisme des corps vivants 

 envers leurs milieux inorganiques," he says " au lieu de ce conflit, on a reconnu 

 bientot que cette relation necessaire constitue une condition fondamentale de 

 la vie re'elle, dont la notion systdmatique consiste dans une intime conciliation 

 permanente entre la spontandite interieure et la fatalite exterieure." Still, 

 this "conciliation permanente''' 1 seems to be a "condition' 1 '' 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.] 



