FATALISM OR FREEDOM 



The actual exercise of discriminative 

 reactions, physiological choices, behavior 

 adapted to benefit the organism or its off- 

 spring in future contingencies, social be- 

 havior of a sort (as in a hive of bees), 

 these manifestations of biologically adap- 

 tive behavior have evidently antedated, 

 historically, human choice, social responsi- 

 bility and altruism. These latter func- 

 tions have grown up within the former. 

 People, too, have acted intelligently, pre- 

 sciently, and morally before the laws of 

 these behavior patterns were codified, just 

 as they spoke correctly before the gram- 

 matical rules of syntax were formulated. 

 Moral freedom grew up within natural 

 freedom of simpler sorts, but it has not 

 thereby become mystical freedom. Our 

 natural science embraces the sum of experi- 

 ence and our moral freedom is part of 

 human experience. 



We wish here to turn the spotlight on 

 the characteristics of mankind that are 

 different from those of brutes and to in- 

 quire into the nature of these differences. 

 Mentality of the human type is a new evo- 

 lutionary pattern and the enlargement of 

 man's powers resulting from the develop- 

 ment of these mental faculties is stupen- 



[76] 



