THE ARGUMENT 269 



ertics, e.g. thermal proper- 

 ties, solvent power, dielectric 

 constant, surface tension, 

 which together result in max- 

 imal fitness in certain respects, 

 e.g. mobility, ubiquity, con- 

 stancy of temperature and 

 richness of the environment, 

 richness of the organism in 

 chemical constituents, variety 

 of chemical processes, electri- 

 cal phenomena, colloidal phe- 

 nomena. 



b. Carbon dioxide possesses very un- 



usual properties, e.g. mag- 

 nitude of absorption coeffi- 

 cient, strength as acid, which 

 together result in maximal fit- 

 ness in certain respects, e.g. 

 mobility, ubiquity, richness of 

 the environment and organ- 

 ism in other elements and 

 compounds, constancy of re- 

 action, etc. 



c. Chemical compounds containing 



carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen 

 possess unique properties, e.g. 

 number, variety, complexity, 

 activity, variety of chemical 

 • 



