110 Trans. Acad. Sci. of St. Louis. 



pulsion n'est pas justifiee par la raison, elle pourra se trouver 

 gravement modifiee par le developpment continu de la raison 

 chez I'homme. * * * Tout instinct tend a se detruire en 

 devenant conscient.'' 



But at any rate, as an outcome of the splendid work which 

 has been going on for thirty years in connection with these 

 two special problems — the nature and the evolution of con- 

 science — we are in a much better position to go ahead and 

 discuss the real issues. The historical foundation has now 

 been laid. We know at last what we are dealing with — the 

 facts as such are before us to grapple with in a way that they 

 were not before the students in ethical science before the days 

 of Darwin. 



IV. When it comes to the problem of the freedom of the 

 will, the atmosphere, it must be admitted, grows misty. In 

 spite of everything we may do we shall find ourselves here 

 within the domain of metaphysics. It is in connection with 

 this issue that the various writers must declare themselves as 

 to their general theorv concernins' the nature of soul or 

 consciousness. They must take their stand for or against the 

 appearance of a new element in the human creature in contrast 

 with the animal kingdom. 



The questions ordinarily put with regard to any of these 

 writers would be: Is he a " Determinist " or an " Indeter- 

 minist," and does he regard the soul as merely a functioning 

 of the body or as having a certain independent existence of 

 its own? We can see, therefore, that in this department the 

 writer is pretty sure to define his general position as to the 

 nature of consciousness or the " soul," and to let us know to 

 what extent he is or is not a " materialist," in ignoring or 

 accepting a " spiritual" nature in man. 



It may be said, I assume, that the drift of opinion among 

 the scholars in ethics is now in favor of " Determinism," or 

 against the old " freedom " standpoint. There is seemingly 

 a shrinking reluctance at this point lest they admit themselves 

 as unscientific. And it must be owned that a man who up- 

 holds the freedom of the will, will have to face a certain 

 degree of contempt on the part of the physicist or the biolo- 



