2 64 THE POPULAR SCIENCE MC^^TELY 



best authorities in biology and psychology. Very often the biology and 

 psychology which they use is comparatively crude, and from ten to 

 twenty-five years behind the times. It is, of course, entirely commend- 

 able on the part of the workers in the social sciences that they should 

 not be over hasty in accepting any theory in biology and psychology. 

 But when these theories have been tested and generally accepted, then 

 the burden of giving adequate reasons must rest upon the sociologist 

 who rejects such theories. Such is the case with the theory of instinct 

 in psychology. 



Aside from the misunderstandings concerning the psychological use 

 of the conception of instinct, there are certain objections of a definite 

 nature which students of society have made to the employment of the 

 conception in sociology and in the other social sciences. These objec- 

 tions may be classified under three heads. 



1. It is said that man has few or no instincts, but that he acquires 

 practically all of his characteristics by imitative absorption from his 

 social environment. This, however, is in direct opposition to all the 

 results of modern scientific psychology. It is now over twenty years 

 since Professor James upset the older view of human nature by saying 

 that man had more instincts than any other animal. This view, after 

 years of controversy, has finally won out in psychology and is now not 

 seriously disputed by any one who understands what the psychologist 

 means by instinct. Thorndike states that the list of human instincts is 

 ever increasing because many actions which have commonly been cred- 

 ited to the acquisition of individual experience are coming now to be 

 known as really the gifts of nature. He says,^ " the more carefully 

 mental development is investigated, the more we find human life every- 

 where rooted in instincts." 



2. The second objection which certain students of society make to 

 the use of the conception of instinct in sociology is that instincts, while 

 they may exist, are in no degree determining factors in human society, 

 but are simply rudimentary impulses whose expression is wholly deter- 

 mined by the social environment (chiefly economic conditions). This 

 objection is based partly on misconceptions of instinct, partly on a 

 faulty psychology which over-emphasizes the role of stimulus in ini- 

 tiating conduct. The full answer to this objection will be evident from 

 what is said later. 



3. The third objection which some make to the use of the concept 

 of instinct in sociology is that instinct is but a term, a concept, and 

 that it stands for no real phenomena ; in short, that " instinct " is 

 merely a metaphysical concept, not a reality. This objection is based 

 upon an inadequate appreciation of the positive and biological character 

 of modern psychology. 



We shall try to show that all of these objections to the use of the 

 ="' Elements of Psychology," p. 190. 



