5/11 DESIGN FOR A BRAIN 



The question is not easily answered. It is similar to that of 

 S. 3/4 where it was asked whether all the qualities of the living 

 organism could be represented by number ; and the answer must 

 be similar. It is assumed that we are dealing primarily with 

 the simpler rather than with the more complex creatures, though 

 the examples of S. 5/6 have shown that some at least of man's 

 activities may be judged properly by this criterion. 



In order to survey rapidly the types of behaviour of the more 

 primitive animals, we may examine the classification of Holmes, 

 who intended his list to be exhaustive but constructed it with 

 no reference to the concept of stability. The reader will be able 

 to judge how far our formulation (S. 5/8) is consistent with his 

 scheme, which is given in Table 5/11/1. 



Behaviour - 



r Non-adaptive 



Sustentative 



f Self- 

 maintaining, 



Adaptive- 



Race- 

 maintaining 



Useless tropistic reaction. 

 Misdirected instinct. 

 Abnormal sex behaviour. 

 Pathological behaviour. 

 Useless social activity. 

 Superfluous random 

 movements. 



Capture, devouring of 



food. 

 Activities preparatory, as 



making snares, stalking. 

 Collection of food, digging. 

 Migration. 

 Caring for food, storing, 



burying, hiding. 

 Preparation of food. 



Against enemies — fight, 



flight. 

 Against inanimate forces. 

 Reactions to heat, gra vity, 



chemicals. 

 ^Against inanimate objects. 



Ameliorative Rest, sleep, play, basking. 



(with these we are not concerned, 



Protective 



S. 1/3). 

 Table 5/11/1 : All forms of animal behaviour, classified by Holmes. 



For the primitive organism, and excluding behaviour related to 

 racial survival, there seems to be little doubt that the w adaptive- 

 ness ' of behaviour is properly measured by its tendency to 

 promote the organism's survival. 



66 



