REASON AND INSTINCT. Till our greatest living philosopher, Herbert Spencer, applied the doctrine of evolution to the study of psychology, there was no science which was more notoriously sterile. It is wellknown, however, that Spencer applied to this more than elsewhere branch of biolo?r even O the principle of the transmission of acquired characters, and it is this principle which his opponents have so fiercely attacked. The J
INDIAN MEDICAL GAZETTE.
104
is in its
subject for
is
one
own
dealing
of the functional which after all
nature
a
with the
very difficult one,
intangible products
activity of an organ with are only imperfectly ac-
we
Differences of structure so minute as inappreciable, have often for their con-
quainted. be
to
comitants
the
by stud}'ing low in
psychical differences, but nervous systems of animals
enormous
the
the action of
between
a man who makes a bird which builds a nest? Only that one acts by virtue of reason and acquired knowledge, and the other by instinct or
speech
inborn, the
and
a
inherited
higher
knowledge. But although in scale of animals both reflex action
and instinct become less in
important yet
environment
man?whose
in
Mr. Archdale Reid in his account of the of instinct and reason.
reflex actions, coughing still represented in human
?
We the
are
we
that in animals low down in
aware
scale, as the coelenterates,
to stimulation
?Owing
to
order to
ring
are
almost all reactions
of the kind known
the action
provide
origin
of natural
for
particular
events the power
of
refiex.
as
selection in
and oft-recur-
making appropriate
complex?both survival.
viscera, the
reflex
intelligence,
action"
and the precursor of while Lewes regarded it as "lapsed
intelligence" and therefore the successor of intelligence, but Romanes has rightly insisted that it is something more, and that instinct is sin action into which has been imported the -element of consciousness. Mr. Archdale Reid, who is a follower of Weissmann in denying the transmission of acquired traits, goes further and defines instinct
as
"
the
which is
faculty
-concerned in the conscious adaptation of to ends
by
and ways
means
of inborn inherited knowledge and acting," for example, thinking of virtue
young turtle or alligator instinctively seeks the water on emerging from the egg. This .instinct is clearl}' transmissible. a
Still
higher
in the
scale,
meet the response to
and
in man, which is
notably
stimulation called reason, which Mr. Reid defines as the faculty which is concerned in the conscious -adaptation of means to ends by virtue of we
"
of
as
breathing, swallowing
and
while instinct is
beings by
various
It is
acquired anew by each individual, it is the 'power of acquiring it which is inheritable. The power of acquiring reason, that is,
of
pound
even more
fear, hate, jealousy, &c. These are obviously inborn and transmissible, while reason is not so.
-again in the scale, we meet with that power of responding to stimuli which is called instinct. Spencer regarded instinct as a com"
the
emotions, the existence of which is necessary for the preservation of the individual or the race: such are love of life, sexual and parental love,
only
O
The
are
responses has been developed, such power being obviouslv inborn and transmissible. Higher ?>
present
are
acts
is
essential factors movements of the hollow
may be able to see the beginnings of what we observe in man. To
INDIAN MEDICAL GAZETTE.
104
is in its
subject for
is
one
own
dealing
of the functional which after all
nature
a
with the
very difficult one,
intangible products
activity of an organ with are only imperfectly ac-
we
Differences of structure so minute as inappreciable, have often for their con-
quainted. be
to
comitants
the
by stud}'ing low in
psychical differences, but nervous systems of animals
enormous
the
the action of
between
a man who makes a bird which builds a nest? Only that one acts by virtue of reason and acquired knowledge, and the other by instinct or
speech
inborn, the
and
a
inherited
higher
knowledge. But although in scale of animals both reflex action
and instinct become less in
important yet
environment
man?whose
in
Mr. Archdale Reid in his account of the of instinct and reason.
reflex actions, coughing still represented in human
?
We the
are
we
that in animals low down in
aware
scale, as the coelenterates,
to stimulation
?Owing
to
order to
ring
are
almost all reactions
of the kind known
the action
provide
origin
of natural
for
particular
events the power
of
refiex.
as
selection in
and oft-recur-
making appropriate
complex?both survival.
viscera, the
reflex
intelligence,
action"
and the precursor of while Lewes regarded it as "lapsed
intelligence" and therefore the successor of intelligence, but Romanes has rightly insisted that it is something more, and that instinct is sin action into which has been imported the -element of consciousness. Mr. Archdale Reid, who is a follower of Weissmann in denying the transmission of acquired traits, goes further and defines instinct
as
"
the
which is
faculty
-concerned in the conscious adaptation of to ends
by
and ways
means
of inborn inherited knowledge and acting," for example, thinking of virtue
young turtle or alligator instinctively seeks the water on emerging from the egg. This .instinct is clearl}' transmissible. a
Still
higher
in the
scale,
meet the response to
and
in man, which is
notably
stimulation called reason, which Mr. Reid defines as the faculty which is concerned in the conscious -adaptation of means to ends by virtue of we
"
of
as
breathing, swallowing
and
while instinct is
beings by
various
It is
acquired anew by each individual, it is the 'power of acquiring it which is inheritable. The power of acquiring reason, that is,
of
pound
even more
fear, hate, jealousy, &c. These are obviously inborn and transmissible, while reason is not so.
-again in the scale, we meet with that power of responding to stimuli which is called instinct. Spencer regarded instinct as a com"
the
emotions, the existence of which is necessary for the preservation of the individual or the race: such are love of life, sexual and parental love,
only
O
The
are
responses has been developed, such power being obviouslv inborn and transmissible. Higher ?>
present
are
acts
is
essential factors movements of the hollow
may be able to see the beginnings of what we observe in man. To
