Here, the very important concept of the tool must enter into our consideration of purposive action. The primary form of the teleological sequence is that in which our action produces reactions in an external object, and these reactions, following a course determined by their own nature, culminate in the desired effects. The use of tools involves interposing another factor between the subject and this object, a factor that occupies an intermediate position not only in terms of space and time but also in terms of its content. For on the one hand a tool is a mere object which is mechanically effective, but on the other hand it is also an object that we don’t merely operate upon, but operate with, as with our own hands. The tool is an intensified instrument, for its form and existence are predetermined by the end. Whereas in the primary teleological process natural objects are only later made to serve our purposes. The person who plants a seed in order to enjoy the fruit of the plant at a later date, instead of being satisfied with wild fruits, acts teleologically, but the purposive action is limited to his hand. If, however, he uses a spade and hoe he removes himself further from the point at which natural processes operate by themselves, anti he enhances the subjective factor in relation to the objective factor. By using tools we deliberately add a new link to the chain of purposive action, thus showing that the straight road is not always the shortest. The tool is typical of what we might call our creations in the external world; on the one hand it is formed exclusively by our own powers, and on the other it is devoted entirely to our own purposes. Because the tool is not itself an end it lacks the relative independence that the end implies, either as an absolute value or as something that will produce an effect upon us; it is an absolute means. The principle of the tool is not only effective in the physical world, where self-interest is not focused directly upon material production, but mental conditions or non-material events are involved, the tool attains a still more refined form, inasmuch as it is now really the creation of our will and does not have to compromise with the attributes of a material substance that is fundamentally alien to purpose. The most typical instances of this kind of tool are perhaps social institutions, by means of which the individual can attain ends for which his personal abilities would never suffice. Membership of a state provides the protection that is a prerequisite for most individual purposive action; but leaving aside this most general aspect,the particular institutions of civil law make possible for the individual achievements that would otherwise be denied to him. In the roundabout legal forms of contract, testament, adoption, etc, the individual possesses a collectively established tool that multiplies his own powers, extends their effectiveness anti secures their ends. Fortuitous elements are eliminated and the homogeneity of interests makes possible an increase in the services rendered from the interaction of individuals there develop objective institutions which become the junction of countless individual teleological sequences and provide an efficient tool for otherwise unattainable purposes. It is the same with religious rites, which are tools of the Church, serving to objectify the typical emotions of the religious community. They are no doubt, a digression from the ultimate end of religious sentiment, but a digression by means of a tool which, in contrast to all material tools, serves exclusively those ends that the individual is otherwise unable to attain.
1.According to the article, where does the tool fit into the sequence of action, reaction and effect?
2.Which of the following is NOT true about tools?
3.Tools are often used in the non-physical world because they （ ）.
4.The author gives the example of planting a seed to demonstrate a tool’s （ ）.
5.The word which is a synonym of “teleological” is （ ）.
