FATALISM OR FREEDOM 



factor in determining what I actually 

 shall do. 



This ability to forecast the probable 

 future result of a course of action not yet 

 undertaken marks a critical stage in the 

 evolution of human control. I foresee two 

 possible ways to adjust to a present situa- 

 tion and I weigh their relative advantages. 

 Deliberative choice now replaces uncon- 

 scious physiological discrimination in the 

 resolution of problems of behavior. Both 

 ways are open. I am free to choose one 

 or the other so far as external compulsion 

 is concerned. I may take the right-hand 

 path because it leads toward the comforts 

 of home. A honey bee or an ant would 

 do the same. 



But in my own case I have a vivid mental 

 picture of the reception that probably 

 awaits me there. If I have been hunting 

 for a destitute household and am return- 

 ing at dusk empty-handed, a moment's re- 

 flection may check the homing instinct and 

 I deliberately turn to the left, taking the 

 longer way home in the hope that its better 

 cover for game may favor a lucky shot 

 and a supper for the children. Which- 

 ever alternative I may choose it is clear 



[62] 



