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THE AMERICAN NA TUBAL1ST [Vol. XLVII 



itself, and this effect, in order to be the cause of itself 

 must have existed before it came into being. 



Of course we realize that we have thus come into con- 

 tact with the darkest problem with which biological sci- 

 ence has to deal, namely, the problem of human purpose- 

 ful action and of the human will. While I see no reason 

 for doubting that this problem may eventually yield to 

 analysis and comparative measurements, yet it must be 

 admitted that progress in this direction has only just 

 begun, so that anything but the most superficial consid- 

 erations in this connection is at present but waste of time 

 and trouble. We have here, for the present, to acknowl- 

 edge our fundamental ignorance, and to hold our minds 

 in that state of suspended judgment to which, in less 

 complex affairs, students of all the natural sciences have 

 become used. 



Although we are as yet unable to analyze into simple 

 terms of matter and energy the antecedents which con- 

 ditioned the adaptation that is before us in the watch, 

 yet it seems that our analysis of the universe about us 

 has progressed far enough so that we may be justified in 

 frankly maintaining that the problem of purposeful cau- 

 sation has no place in any of our considerations, except- 

 ing solely those wherein human consciousness has been 

 involved among the causal conditions. To employ other 

 terms, I think we are bound to regard the nature of the 

 future outcome of all processes as totally non-existent, 

 and consequently absolutely without influence in the pres- 

 ent, excepting alone (and temporarily) those processes 

 for which the human will is accounted a necessary ante- 

 cedent. 



We may now inquire as to the causes which have been 

 in operation to bring about the peculiarly low specific 

 gravity of the pumice pebbles in my case of the floating 

 adaptation of these bodies. We are assuredly unable to 

 state these causal conditions in anything approaching 

 completeness, but we are nevertheless sure that human 

 purposefulness has played absolutely no part in the 



