H. W. Conn 369 



Consciousness a Factor 



" This conception of the action of selection evidently makes 

 consciousness a factor in evolution. It has always been claimed 

 by the Lamarckian school that consciousness aids in the process 

 of descent. It has sometimes been supposed that by this claim 

 is meant that by conscious efforts an animal can modify its 

 structure ; but such a conception has certainly not been held 

 by scientists in recent years. Consciousness may, however, 

 lead to the use of organs or to the adoption of the new habits, 

 and, if the view we are now considering be sound, such use of 

 organs, or such habits, leads to the development of acquired 

 characters which enable the individual to live in new conditions 

 more successfully, until after a time congenital variations take 

 their place. Consciousness thus becomes an indirect factor 

 in evolution. Indeed, the attempt is sometimes made to extend 

 this principle of consciousness to all organic life, and to find 

 even among the lower plants something which corresponds to it. 

 Such an expansion of consciousness is, however, too crude and 

 unintelligible to take its place in our general conception of 

 nature. But, if organic evolution be a factor [fact?], conscious- 

 ness becomes a force of considerable importance among higher 

 animals. Moreover, this is just where there appears to be the 

 greatest need for some aid to Natural Selection. As we have 

 already seen, there is strong evidence for the inheritance of 

 acquired characters among plants, so strong indeed that some 

 botanists insist that it is a matter of demonstration that such 

 characters are inherited. Among animals, however, there is 

 little evidence for such inheritance and apparently a growing 

 disinclination to believe in it. Thus it is seen that the factor of 

 consciousness would come into play just where acquired charac- 

 ters become of most doubtful value. Among plants, because of 

 the wide distribution of the germ plasm through the body, there 

 is less difficulty in accepting the inheritance of acquired charac- 

 ters, and here consciousness is not needed. Among animals, 

 where the inheritance of acquired characters is more doubtful, 

 to say the least, this factor of consciousness takes its place." 



2B 



