﻿ANIMAL 
  BEHAVIOUR 
  221 
  

  

  same 
  kind. 
  The 
  difference 
  is 
  not 
  one 
  of 
  complexity, 
  but 
  of 
  

   kind. 
  The 
  starfish 
  is 
  not 
  mechanically 
  necessitated 
  to 
  act 
  

   as 
  it 
  does 
  ; 
  it 
  often 
  checkmates 
  mechanism. 
  Even 
  when 
  we 
  

   say 
  that 
  it 
  is 
  coerced 
  by 
  its 
  own 
  brainless 
  constitution 
  we 
  

   must 
  remember 
  that 
  it 
  was 
  itself 
  in 
  some 
  degree 
  an 
  agent 
  in 
  

   establishing 
  that 
  constitution. 
  

  

  Similarly, 
  an 
  animal 
  with 
  a 
  big 
  brain, 
  i.e., 
  a 
  well- 
  

   developed 
  capacity 
  for 
  intelligent 
  behaviour, 
  is 
  free 
  com- 
  

   pared 
  with 
  a 
  starfish. 
  By 
  careful 
  study 
  we 
  may 
  reduce 
  

   the 
  experimental 
  indeterminism 
  and 
  predict 
  with 
  some 
  suc- 
  

   cess 
  what 
  our 
  dog 
  will 
  do 
  in 
  a 
  particular 
  situation. 
  But 
  we 
  

   are 
  likely 
  to 
  make 
  a 
  bigger 
  mistake 
  than 
  we 
  made 
  with 
  our 
  

   starfishes 
  if 
  we 
  argue 
  from 
  our 
  dog 
  to 
  our 
  neighbour's. 
  For 
  

   why, 
  the 
  individuality 
  of 
  the 
  dog 
  is 
  so 
  much 
  greater 
  than 
  

   that 
  of 
  the 
  starfish. 
  The 
  details 
  of 
  its 
  behaviour 
  are 
  deter- 
  

   mined 
  much 
  less 
  by 
  its 
  general 
  constitution 
  and 
  much 
  more 
  

   by 
  the 
  character 
  which 
  it 
  has 
  itself 
  been 
  an 
  agent 
  in 
  building 
  

   up. 
  Thus 
  we 
  see 
  in 
  the 
  realm 
  of 
  organisms 
  a 
  ladder 
  of 
  

   emancipation 
  the 
  evolution 
  of 
  free-will. 
  

  

  The 
  impression 
  which 
  we 
  get 
  from 
  the 
  study 
  of 
  even 
  star- 
  

   fishes 
  seems 
  to 
  us 
  to 
  hold 
  for 
  the 
  whole 
  realm 
  of 
  Animate 
  

   Nature 
  and 
  for 
  ourselves 
  in 
  it. 
  We 
  find 
  neither 
  systems 
  of 
  

   absolute 
  determinism 
  nor 
  i 
  miscellanies 
  of 
  miracles 
  ', 
  but 
  

   systems 
  in 
  which 
  determinism 
  and 
  freedom 
  are 
  both 
  illus- 
  

   trated, 
  sometimes 
  more 
  of 
  the 
  one 
  and 
  sometimes 
  more 
  of 
  the 
  

   other. 
  The 
  enregistrations 
  within 
  an 
  organism 
  limit 
  its 
  

   actions 
  within 
  certain 
  trammels; 
  the 
  reflexes, 
  the 
  tropisms, 
  

   the 
  instincts, 
  the 
  hereditary 
  appetites 
  are 
  all 
  determinist 
  

   in 
  effect; 
  but 
  our 
  conception 
  of 
  the 
  typical 
  organism 
  is 
  not 
  

   complete 
  unless 
  we 
  recognise 
  its 
  possibilities 
  of 
  initiative 
  

   and 
  experiment, 
  of 
  trial 
  and 
  error, 
  of 
  choice 
  and 
  control. 
  

   Perhaps 
  we 
  may 
  profitably 
  continue 
  into 
  the 
  realms 
  of 
  ethics 
  

  

  