Responsibility in Relation to Nature 15 



be subject to many modifications arising from this natural 

 episode of a falling boulder. 



The things which thus occur to inanimate nature are the 

 involuntary outcome of previous events, the necessary effects 

 of preceding causes. Inanimate nature is purely passive, 

 effect follows cause and becomes in turn new cause leading 

 to some other consequences. The action of living creatures 

 with will power, and desires, and freedom and force to 

 execute them, is exerted for the purpose of changing the 

 natural sequence of effects from their causes, and thus 

 shaping events more to the liking of the creature so acting ; 

 or for changing its own attitude toward such events in a 

 manner to modify the results to itself. Every living being 

 so exercising the privilege of intelligent life, each one who 

 interposes his action, and causes himself, or the current of 

 natural things, whether purposely or otherwise, to take a 

 course different from what it would have taken, (and to 

 modify a single thing is to modify the current of events) — 

 every creature doing the smallest act of volition, thereby 

 incurs a responsibility for the consequences of his act. This 

 responsibility is not the limited one which the word irre- 

 sponsible sometimes implies in human stipulation, bu^ is full 

 and complete and inevitable. There is no lessening of the 

 responsibility because of the lack of power of the indi- 

 vidual to bear it. This burden is to test the value of the 

 conduct in question by the exact result. 



The purpose of man's conduct is to overcome the hostil- 

 ities of environment by right direction of his will and 

 power. He cannot annul these forces but he must meet 

 them. And in the privilege of thua opposing his will and 



