80 THE POPULAR SCIENCE MONTHLY. 



CONSCIENCE IN ANIMALS. 



By G. J. KOMANES, M. A., F. L. S. 



AMONG several other topics which are dealt with in an interest- 

 ing article entitled "Animal Depravity" that appeared in the 

 Quarterly Journal of Science for October last, the writer alludes to the 

 question as to whether or not the rudiments of a moral sense are dis- 

 cernible in animals. This question I consider to be of so much im- 

 portance from a psychological point of view that, although a great 

 deal of observation which I have directed toward its enlightenment 

 has hitherto yielded but small results, I am tempted to publish the 

 latter, such as they are, in the hope that, if they serve no better end, 

 they may perhaps induce some other observers to bestow their atten- 

 tion upon this very interesting subject. 



I may first briefly state what I conceive to be the theoretical 

 standing of the subject. At the present day, when the general theory 

 of evolution is accepted by all save the ignorant or the prejudiced, 

 the antecedent probability is overwhelming that our moral sense, like 

 all our other psychological faculties, has been evolved. The question 

 as to the causes of its evolution has been discussed in the "Descent 

 of Man," and this with all the breadth of thought and force of fact so 

 characteristic of the writings which have exerted an influence upon 

 human thought more profound than has been exerted by the writings 

 of any other single man not even excepting Aristotle in philosophy 

 or Newton in science. Mr. Herbert Spencer, also, has treated of this 

 subject, and, if his wonderful " programme" is ever destmed to attain 

 completion, we may expect copious results when his great powers are 

 brought to bear upon the "Principles of Morality." Meanwhile, 

 however, we have ample evidence to render it highly probable that at 

 any rate the leading causes in the development of our moral sense 

 have had their origin in the social instincts. Indeed, to any one who 

 impartially considers this evidence in the light of the general theory 

 of evolution, it must appear wellnigh incredible that so considerable 

 a body of proof can ever admit of being overcome. Nor is this all. 

 Not only is it true that so much success has attended Mr. Darwin's 

 method of determining synthetically the causes which have been in- 

 strumental in evolving the moral sense, 1 but, long before any scientific 

 theory of evolution had been given to the world, our great logician 

 following in the track of Hume (whose part in this matter has not, I 

 think, been sufficiently appreciated), Bentham, and others proved 



1 I willingly indorse the just tribute recently paid to this part of Mr. Darwin's work 

 by Prof. Clifford : " To my niind the simplest and clearest and most profound philosophy 

 that was ever written upon this subject is to be found in chapters ii. and iii. of Mr. Dar- 

 win's 'Descent of Man.'" Fortnightly Review, p. 794. 



