MECHANISM OF NATURE 



contribute its part to two new identities, of whom 

 one shall belong to each sex; therefore, sex does 

 not constitute a separate identity. 



But let it be granted that the old hypothesis is 

 true, namely: that that seed which produces the 

 new identity is contained in the male and that the 

 female only supplies that material and the environ- 

 ments that are necessary to grow the seed into the 

 new identity. 



And, let it be granted also, that the other hy- 

 pothesis is true, namely: that identical life is a 

 primary identity. 



Then, the whole life of the future new identity 

 is contained in that male seed, or else supplied 

 from the outside of both male and female, and 

 that life can, therefore, not be affected, altered, 

 modified or diversified by the female that supplies 

 only raw material to the growing identity. (Hy- 

 pothesis.) But this is absurd; for everywhere we 

 observe hereditary traits descend from both male 

 and female. 



And equally absurd it is to claim that the life 

 of a cow has no reference to the life of her calf; 

 for, in that case, there need be no similarity what- 

 ever between cow and calf, for life is that power 

 possessed by every living identity, which enables 

 it to arrange the matter of the Universe into its 

 own form. (Prop. XIV, B. 2.) Again, because 

 life is a primary identity, and contained in the 

 male seed (Hypothesis) ; therefore, in the first 

 male, there must have resided, beside his own 



68 



