230 SYMBIOSIS 



In my view, there are required many delicate psycho- 

 physiological associative processes, which, for their effectiveness 

 and permanence depend on a high symbiotic condition generally. 

 One might say that these processes largely depend upon the 

 Bio-Chemistry of the body ; but this, as we discovered, depends 

 in turn upon the bio-economic behaviour of the species. 



The incompleteness of Prof. Wood Jones's scheme becomes 

 again apparent in the last chapter but one, where he is dealing 

 with " the failures of arboreal life," and where he begins thus : 

 " There would seem to be a general law applicable to animal 

 adaptations a law which we might term the law of successful 

 minimal adaptive specialisation." 



The use of the word " successful " here seems rather a begging 

 of the question, whilst even " specialisation," as I have said 

 before, is rather vague. We have found, moreover, that the 

 " over-specialisation " to be avoided by the organism, is in reality 

 " mis-specialisation," i.e., modification according to biological 

 " misuse." If we are agreed that the organism exists neither 

 by itself nor for itself, and cannot, hence, escape being a 

 " specialist " of some sort, the question arises, how is it to become 

 and to remain a " normal " specialist. " Successful minimal 

 adaptive specialisation " is only another way of stating the 

 accomplished fact, without explaining how it is done. We are 

 a little nearer the truth if we say " moderation in all things," 

 whence it is not a far cry to " symbiotic moderation," with the 

 implied " symbiotic endeavour." The author here invokes the 

 aid of " plasticity " and of the " environment." It is not 

 disclosed, however, what it is that creates and ensures "plasticity," 

 and it is but dimly hinted what scope there is through mutual 

 service for specialisation in a very real, i.e., a socio-physiological 

 meaning of the word. 



A plastic stock, given unlimited scope of development in varied environ- 

 ment, tends to differentiate. Different races will specialise towards the 

 needs of their environment. 



But, as I have said, the author has not sufficiently developed 

 the theme of " sociological " specialisation ; he has failed to 

 realise that a "plastic stock" is one that practises symbiotic 

 cross-feeding, that to be symbiotically related to the animate 

 environment, almost ipso facto, constitutes plasticity. 



Different environments (he goes on to say), offer varying possibilities 

 of education, expansion, and advance, but the full educational possibilities 



