No. 626] 



ADAPTATION 



213 



a nest) can not be understood by the organism. Each 

 sfep is desired and willed on its own account alone. The 

 end takes care of itself, by virtue of a preestablished 

 mechanism. 



Thus purpose, in the psychological sense of the word, 

 can not be predicated of a complex instinctive act, even 

 though the individual steps be consciously performed. 

 Least of all can it be predicated of a process of organic 

 regulation or reparation, the object of which can never 

 be consciously in view. It was doubtless in part consid- 

 erations like these which led Driesch to deny the mental 

 nature of ^'entelechy" altogether and to remove it to a 

 transcendental sphere in which it was no loiigL'r sul).jeet 

 to the exacting demands of experienced reality. Tudced. 

 he tells us that ''there must be a somothiiiu' in tlicni 

 [morphogenetic, adaptive and instinctive ciitcKH-hio ] 

 that has an analogy not to knowing and williiii;' in uciirral 

 . . . hut to the ivilling of specific iinexperu'iicrd rralifics, 

 and to knowing the specific means of attaining them" 

 (II, p. 142). We think more favorably of Driesch 's good 

 sense when he admits that the position of his doctrine is 

 at this point rather desperate." Xor is I'.eruson's 



eert;iiii of the most l)at11iiig phciioincnn of instinct liy in- 

 voking the aid of "intuition" or "•synipatliy."' The 

 psycho-vitaiists introduce an agent which is to -onu* 

 degree intelligible, even though it is ina«le(inate. The 

 agents wliieh Driesch and Bergson con.jni'e njt ai'e neither 

 adequate nor intel!igil)le. 



In the writings of these and sonu- other vitali>ts the 

 "vital prineiph'/" by whatever name caHed. is distinctly 

 credited with ])ow(M's which we shouhl ordinarily term 

 clairvoyant. Indeed, we are forced to conchule that it 

 must I>e ahh' to -Map** sources of information whicli are 

 closed even to the lii-hest tinite intelligence. This, of 

 course, is ni>sticism ]mve and sinii»le. though such a re- 

 proach admitte.llv does not constitute its ivfutation for 

 all minds. 



