▁ ▁The ▁attempt ▁on ▁the ▁part ▁of ▁philosoph ers ▁and ▁scient ists ▁to ▁come ▁to ▁g ri ps ▁with ▁the ▁question ▁of ▁life ▁led ▁to ▁an ▁emphas is ▁away ▁from ▁mechan ics ▁or ▁stat ics , ▁to ▁dynamics . ▁Life ▁was ▁action , ▁living ▁movement , ▁a ▁manifest ation ▁of ▁an ▁underlying ▁polar ity ▁in ▁nature ▁and ▁the ▁universe . ▁Instead ▁of ▁seeing ▁nature ▁from ▁a ▁‘ one - ey ed , ▁color ▁blind ’ ▁spect ator ▁perspective , ▁what ▁was ▁needed ▁was ▁a ▁perspective ▁that ▁was ▁bin oc ular ▁and ▁particip ative . ▁In ert ial ▁science ▁had ▁advanced ▁in ▁man ' s ▁understanding ▁of ▁in ert ▁nature , ▁her ▁outer ▁form ▁or ▁shell , ▁what ▁Francis ▁Ba con ▁term ed ▁natur a ▁natur ata ▁( outer ▁form ▁or ▁appearance ). ▁ ▁However , ▁it ▁was ▁not ▁capable ▁of ▁going ▁beyond ▁this ▁to ▁a ▁more ▁dynamic ▁disc ern ment ▁or ▁app er ception ▁of ▁the ▁living ▁inner ▁content ▁of ▁nature , ▁the ▁domain ▁of ▁life ▁– ▁life ▁in ▁general , ▁not ▁just ▁life ▁bi ological ▁as ▁Samuel ▁Taylor ▁Col er idge , ▁at ▁the ▁philosoph ic ▁core ▁of ▁the ▁scientific ▁effort ▁to ▁pen et rate ▁to ▁natur a ▁natur ans , ▁put ▁it , ▁asking ▁further ▁“ what ▁is ▁not ▁life ?” ▁based ▁on ▁the ▁understanding ▁of ▁life ▁as ▁a ▁dynamic ▁polar ity ▁between ▁powers , ▁forces ▁and ▁energ ies . ▁As ▁one ▁observer ▁wrote ▁" Die ▁eig ent liche ▁Lebens le hre ▁der ▁Rom ant ik ▁aber ▁war : ▁Pol ar