CONTENTS 



PAGE 



Introduction ix 



CHAPTER I 



The Evolution of Life — Mechanism and Teleology 



Of duration in general — Unorganized bodies and abstract time 

 — Organized bodies and real duration — Individuality and 

 the process of growing old ...... 1 



Of transfonnism and the different ways of interpreting it — Radi- 

 cal mechanism and real duration: the relation of biology to 

 physics and chemistry — Radical finalism and real duration: 

 the relation of biology to philosophy .... 23 



The quest of a criterion — Examination of the various theories 

 with regard to a particular example — Darwin and insensible 

 variation — De Vries and sudden variation — Eimer and or- 

 thogenesis — Neo-Lamarckism and the hereditability of 

 acquired characters ....... 59 



Result of the inquiry — The vital impetus .... 87 



CHAPTER II 



The Divergent Directions of the Evolution of 

 Life — Torpor, Intelligence, Instinct 



General idea of the evolutionary process — Growth — Divergent 

 and complementary tendencies — The meaning of progress 

 and of adaptation ....... 98 



The relation of the animal to the plant — General tendency of 



animal life — The development of animal life . . . 105> 

 The main directions of the evolution of life: torpor, intelligence, 



instinct 135 



The nature of the intellect 151 



The nature of instinct ....... 165 



Life and consciousness — The apparent place of man in nature . 176 



vii 



