CHAPTER XV 



THE TRUE EGO 



The great contribution of Biology to the study of Moral- 

 ity is the revelation that the egoplasm — the true ego — is con- 

 tinuously living — the same physically visible substance that 

 lived from the dawn of life, in a succession of individuals, 

 generation after generation. The germ-plasm which issues 

 from the body or develops within the mother body, is not the 

 product of that body, but is the producer of it. The germ 

 cell must be a portion of the original germ-plasm, because 

 that is the only part of the parent which is competent to pro- 

 duce it. The body cells are not competent ; they are qualified 

 only to produce the special kind of cells like themselves. It 

 is of course true that the germ-plasm is nurtured and modi- 

 fied by the somatic cells ; it is probable that the experiences 

 of the somatic cells are conveyed to the germ cells and ab- 

 sorbed by them to continue the heredity. It is also true that 

 the germ-cells perform certain somatic functions, but the 

 germ-plasm, the true ego, is the master-plasm, which is con- 

 tinuing its own physical living substance in the shelter of the 

 body it has made, which is destined to die ; while the ego- 

 plasm continues in new bodies potentially immortal. 



It is not necessary to suppose that there is a special gland 

 or organ where the germ-plasm is resident. In fact it is 

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