Renewal of Life by Transmission. The most notable distinction between living and inanimate
things is that the former maintain themselves by renewal. A stone when struck resists. If its
resistance is greater than the force of the blow struck, it remains outwardly unchanged.
Otherwise, it is shattered into smaller bits. Never does the stone attempt to react in such a
way that it may maintain itself against the blow, much less so as to render the blow a
contributing factor ...