188 VITALISM AND SCHOLASTICISM 



formation of a complete embryo, if, in other 

 words, all the experiments carried out with 

 early embryonic stages would result in the 

 production of fragments of organization, then 

 we should feel obliged to accept the theory of 

 machine-like preformation. But this is not 

 the case. On the contrary, the ontogenetic 

 systems are * harmonious-equipotential.' "Take 

 whatever portion of them you like, quite at 

 random, and yet there will be completeness 

 of final organisation ."The embryonic 'machine' 

 then, that is supposed to exist in the normal 



FIG. V. 



Reproduced by permission of Messrs Macmillan & Co., Ltd., 

 from the " Problem of Individuality " by Prof. Hans 

 Driesch. 



The harmonious-equipotential system (H.E.S.). The large 

 rectangle represents an H.E.S. in its normal undisturbed 

 state. It might a priori contain a very complicated kind of 

 '* machine " as the foundation of development. But any 

 fragment of the system (the small rectangles and innumer- 

 able others), contingent as to its size and to its position in 

 the original H.E.S., is equally able to produce a small but 

 complete organism. On the basis of the mechanistic 

 theory, then, any fragment of the H.E.S. would contain 

 the same " machine" as the original system. This is 

 absurd. 



