Page:On the Fourfold Root, and On the Will in Nature.djvu/294

 THE WILL IN NATURE.

itself does not adapt itself to the existing weapons, but vice versa. This had already been noticed by Galen 1 and by Lucretius 2 before him. All these circumstances give us complete certainty, that the will does not, as a supplementary thing proceeding from the intellect, employ those instruments which it may happen to find, or use the parts because just they and no others chance to be there; but that what is primary and original, is the endeavour to live in this particular way, to contend in this manner, an endeavour which manifests itself not only in the employ ment, but even in the existence of the weapon: so much so indeed, that the use of the weapon frequently precedes its existence, thus denoting that it is the weapon which arises out of the existence of the endeavour, not, conversely, the desire to use it out of the existence of the weapon. Aristotle expressed this long ago, when he said, with reference to insects armed with stings :Δια το δυμον εχειν οπλον εχει (quia iram habent, arma habent) 3, and further on, generally speaking: Τα δ οργανα προς το εργον η φυσις ποιει αλλ ου εργον προς τα οργανα. (Natura enim instrumenta ad officium, non officium ad instrumenta accommodat) 4. From which it follows, that the structure of each animal is adapted to its will.

This truth forces itself upon thoughtful zoologists and zootomists with such cogency, that unless their mind is at the same time purified by a deeper philosophy, it may lead them into strange errors. Now this actually happened to a very eminent zoologist, the immortal De Lamarck, who has acquired everlasting fame by his discovery

1 Galenus, De Usu Partium Animalium, i. 1.

2 Lucretius, De rerum natura, v. pp. 1032-1039.

3 Aristotle, De Partibus Animalium, iv. 6 [p. 683–7]. "They have a weapon because they have passion." [Tr.]

4 Ibid. c. 12 [p. 964b 13]: "Nature makes the tools for the work, not the work for the tools." [Tr.]

COMPARATIVE