130 THE WHENCE AND THE WHITHER OF MAN 



an animal must to a great extent depend. The amoeba 

 contracts when pricked, jelly-fishes swim toward the 

 light, the earthworm, " alarmed " by the tread of your 

 foot, withdraws into its hole. Are these and similar 

 actions reflex or instinctive ? A grain of conscious- 

 ness preceding an action which before has been reflex 

 changes it into instinct. Mr. Romanes, probably cor- 

 rectly, regards them as purely reflex. We must, I 

 think, believe that these actions result in conscious- 

 ness even in the lowest forms. The selection and at- 

 tainment of food certainly looks like conscious action. 

 Probably all nerve-cells or nervous material were 

 originally, even in the lowest forms, dimly conscious; 

 then by division of labor some became purely con- 

 ductive, others more highly perceptive. The important 

 thing for us to remember in our present ignorance is 

 not to be dogmatic. 



Furthermore, the gain of a grain of consciousness 

 of the adaptation of certain means to special ends 

 changes instinctive action into intelligent, and its loss 

 may reverse the process. Fortunately we have found 

 that in so far as actions, even instinctive, are modified 

 by experience, they are becoming to that extent intel- 

 ligent. This criterion of intelligence seems easily ap- 

 plied. But this profiting by experience must manifest 

 itself within the lifetime of the individual, or in lines 

 outside of circumstances to which its ordinary in- 

 stincts are adapted, or we may give to individual in- 

 telligence the credit due really to natural selection. 

 We must be cautious in our judgments. 



These reflex actions are performed independently of 

 consciousness or will. Consciousness ma} 7 , probably 

 does, attend the selection and grasping of food ; but 



