138 Life and Matter [chap. vm. 



facts of ordinary vitality into a thinkable 

 scheme. Without it, I should be met by 

 all the usual puzzles : (1). as to the stage at 

 which existence begins, if it can be thought 

 of as " beginning " at all ; * (2) as to the 

 nature of individuality, in the midst of 

 diversity of particles, and the determination 

 of form irrespective of variety of food ; (3) 

 the extraordinary rapidity of development, 

 which results in the production of a fully 

 endowed individual in the course of some 

 fraction of a century. 



With it, I cannot pretend that all these 

 things are thoroughly intelligible, but the 

 lines on which an explanation may be 

 forthcoming seem to be laid down : the 

 notion being that what we see is a temporary 

 apparition or incarnation of a permanent 

 entity or idea. 



1 I doubt whether existence can be " begun " at all, save 

 as the result of a juxtaposition of elements, or of a convey- 

 ance of motion. We can put things together, and we can 

 set things in motion, statics and kinetics, can we do 

 more? Ether can be strained, matter can be moved: I 

 doubt whether we see more than this happening in the whole 

 material universe. This dictum is elaborated elsewhere. 



