68 WITHIN AND WITHOUT 



sophical explanation such as would satisfy the mind 

 of the man who wants to get a real and not a 

 partial knowledge of the things around him. 



We may now turn to the question of Vitalism. 

 It was long the regnant theory ; then temporarily 

 the Cinderella of biology ; it is now returning 

 to its early position, though still denied by those 

 of the older school of thought who cannot 

 imagine the kitchen wench of yesterday the ruler 

 of to-day. One of the objections to Vitalism is 

 that this explanation of living things is thought 

 by ignorant writers to be so inextricably mixed 

 up with theological considerations as to furnish a 

 case of stantis aut cadentis ecclesiae. That is, of 

 course, absurd ; but it creates an undoubted bias 

 against the theory. Hence it is the fashion 

 amongst its opponents to write of it as " mystical " 

 or, as Loeb does, as " supernatural," probably 

 the most illogical term that could possibly be 

 used. What is Vitalism ? It is the theory that 

 there is some other element call it entelechy 

 with Driesch, or call it what you like in living 

 things than those elements known to chemistry 

 and physics. If it is not there, cadit quaestio ; 

 if it is there it is not " supernatural." It might 

 with reason be called " super-mechanical," or 

 " super-chemical," or " super-physical " ; but if 

 it is in Nature, as it is held to be, it is not " super- 

 natural " in any true sense of that word no 

 dictionary confines the term " Nature " to the 

 operations of chemistry and physics. 



A good deal of the misconception existing on 

 this point comes from pure ignorance of philo- 



