Xo. 626] 



ADAPTATION 



211 



to explain" otherwise inexplicable facts, (^f these 

 Driesch's "entelechy" and Bergson's "elan vital" are 

 but types. 



Much less discordant with our scientific liabits of 

 thought are the utterances of some of the so-called 

 "psycho-vitalists," to whom dhision has already been 

 made. These writers do not have recourse to meta- 

 physical principles, wholly beyond the realm of expe- 

 rience. They invoke the familiar facts of conscious pur- 

 pose, intelligence and will. Organic happenings scon 

 purposive, they think, because they arc ])nr])()siv('. in the 

 same sense that our own voluntary actions nic imi |»<«>iv('. 

 Such a view carries the realm of mental lite far L.-vimkI 

 the bounds which we are wont to assign to it. Its logical 

 outcome is a thoroughgoing panpsycliism, an outcome 

 wliicli some of its advocates are (luite ready to accept. 



Xow, it seems to the writer that a panpsychic view of 

 nature can be stated in such terms as not only to be 

 plausibk% but to meet certain of our most fundamental 

 intellectual needs. But such a view is at best a philo- 

 soi)liical creed, ]H)t a scientific explanation, and should 

 never be offered as a substitntc tV.r the hitter. 



The introduction of will, jtm-post", etc., in the role ot' 

 scientific exi)lanations nia\- have one of two ini])li('at ions. 

 Kither (1) it may be a-smned that a uIn-ii ].h>Heal eon- 

 figuration, plus these psychical concomitants, is ahlr to 

 accomplish what would be inipossiMe lor the .<<iiiir phys- 

 ical configuration minus these ]is\chical conc(»niitants 

 (interactionism) ; or (2) it may be assumed that only 

 that type of physical configuration which is invariably 

 bound up with certain psychical factor- is com])etent to 

 call forth the result in question (parallelism). Accord- 

 ing to the second point of view, the question whethei- tin- 

 same result would have ensued without the aucnc}- oi' 

 purpose or will is an absurdity. If purjmse and will had 

 been lackinu\ the i)hysical antecedents would of necessity 



have also 1 n (lilT.Mvnt. 



It is needh'ss to sav thai l>otli oi the foregohig posi- 

 tions have been upheld by philosophers. It is my wish 



