298 THE FITNESS OF THE ENVIRONMENT 



by analogy leads to, and we use analogy the 

 wrong way when we declare life to be impos- 

 sible wherever the circumstances with which 

 it is confronted are other than those on the 

 earth. The truth is that life is possible wher- 

 ever energy descends the incline indicated by 

 Carnot's law and where a cause of inverse 

 direction can retard the descent — that is to 

 say, probably, in all the worlds suspended 

 from all the stars. We go further : it is not 

 even necessary that life should be concen- 

 trated and determined in organisms properly 

 so called, that is, in definite bodies present- 

 ing to the flow of energy ready-made though 

 elastic canals. It can be conceived (although 

 it can hardly be imagined) that energy might 

 be saved up, and then expended on varying 

 lines running across a matter not yet solidified. 

 Every essential of life would still be there, 

 since there would still be slow accumulation 

 of energy and sudden release." * 



B 



VITALISM AND TELEOLOGY 



These conclusions appear to be based upon 

 decisions regarding the essential physico-chem- 

 ical conditions and characteristics of life arbi- 



1 Bergson, l.c. y pp. %55, 256. 



