288 The Origin of a 'Thing' and its Nature 



the same series which, when read retrospectively, we call 

 evolution. 



4. The fact that anything — and more especially mental 

 products, ideas, etc. — has had a natural history, is no 

 argument against its validity or worth as having applica- 

 tion beyond the details of its own history ; since, if so, 

 then a natural history series could produce nothing new. 

 But that is to deny the existence of the fact or idea itself, 

 for it is a new thing in the series in which it arises. 



All these points may be held together in a view which 

 gives each mental content a twofold value in the active 

 life. Each such content, by its function as a genetic 

 factor in the progressive development of the individual, 

 begets two attitudes. As far as it fulfils earlier habits 

 it begets and confirms the historical or retrospective atti- 

 tude ; as far as it is not entirely exhausted in the channels 

 of habit, so far it begets the expectant or prospective 

 attitude. 



§ 9. TJie Meaning of the Category of Causation 



There are one or two points among many suggested by 

 the foregoing which it may be well to refer to — selected 

 because uppermost in the writer's mind. It will be remem- 

 bered that in speaking of the categories of organization as 

 having prospective reference, I adduced instances largely 

 drawn from the phenomena of life and mind, contrasting 

 them somewhat strongly with those of chemistry, physics, 

 etc. The use afterward made of these categories now 

 warrants us in turning upon that distinction, in order to 

 see whether our main results hold for the aspects of reality 

 with which these other sciences deal as well. It was inti- 

 mated above in passing that other categories of reality, such 



