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ALL ST [Vol. XLVII 



else) has not demonstrated itself adequate for nature, 

 organic or inorganic; and perhaps incline to the view 

 that it will be shown inadequate. Such, for example, is 

 the position taken by Butschli, in what he considers to be 

 an attack on vitalism, 6 such also is the position of the 

 present writer. ' * Vitalists" that hold to nothing more 

 than this will avoid classification with a totally different 

 set of theorists if they pronounce themselves clearly on 

 this question; and the same is true for "non-vitalists." 

 Do you or do you not hold that there is a deep-lying dis- 

 tinction between the science of the living and that of the 

 non-living? Do you hold that mechanism is or is not ade- 

 quate to nature? These questions are not identical. 



Vitalism as the Doctrine that There is a Deep-lying 

 Distinction between the Science of the Living 



AND THAT OF THE NON-LIVING 



7. Leaving aside such " vitalism" as is merely a gen- 

 eral alternative to "mechanism," and understanding by 

 it the doctrine that there is a deep-lying distinction be- 

 tween the occurrences in the living and those in the non- 

 living (which I believe is the idea that at least lurks in 

 the background in most minds, even though the grounds 

 discussed may not directly bear upon it) — then its valid- 

 ity is open to the following: 



8. Test. — Examination to determine whether the char 

 acteristics of living things, or of the science of living 

 things, that are urged as ground for vitalism, are really 

 distinctive of the living, as contrasted with the non-liv- 

 ing. If both living and non-living are found to possess 

 them, these characteristics furnish no ground for vital- 

 Much clearing of the atmosphere would result if we 



could so much as get a general expression of opinion as 

 to whether this is a valid test. In the following I pro- 

 pose to examine by the aid of this test the common vital- 



• BUtschli, O., "Mechanismus und Vitalismus, » ' Leipzig, 1901, pp. 7-8. 



