344. ADAPTIVENESS AND PURPOSIVENESS 



for a purpose, what is that purpose? If there be design 

 "what does it promise? 



The general outcome of the present discussion is an ap- 

 preciation not only of the pervasiveness of mentality in the 

 realm of organisms, but of all-penetrating purpose as well. 

 Looking back imaginatively on the course of evolution, we 

 have seen the emergence of an aspect of reality which we 

 call Life, and another aspect of reality which we call Mind, 

 now we are getting glimpses of the emergence of another 

 aspect of reality which we call Purpose. Of this we shall 

 get a larger view when we come to consider the evolutionary 

 process as a whole. 



In the meantime, however, we have gained something. 

 For while there may be difference of opinion as to terms 

 and concepts, it has become increasingly clear that animals, 

 and plants too, are creatures with purposeful or purposive 

 lives, and are not to be banished from the Realm of Ends. 

 This enriches our conception of life. It is a contribution 

 towards a Philosophy of ItTature. It makes our view of 

 Nature and our view of Human Life more conformable. 



In any case we trust that our study so far may have con- 

 tributed to a deeper appreciation of the Realm of Organisms, 

 in which we are, to say the least, no aliens. We have sought 

 to envisage the variety of life — hundreds of thousands of 

 distinct individualities or species; the abundance of life, — 

 like a river always tending to overflow its banks; the dif- 

 fusion of life, — exploring and exploiting every corner of land 

 and sea; the insurgence of life, — self-assertive, persistent, 

 defiant, continually achieving the apparently impossible; 

 the cyclical development of life, — ever passing from birth, 

 through love, to death; the intricacy of life, — every cell a 

 microcosm; the subtlety of life, — every drop of blood an 



