4^6 H. S. 'Jennings, 



lower organism that has gone through the process just sketched 

 we of course do not know. But some objective phenomenon, as a 

 transient physiological state, corresponding to the objective 

 physiological accompaniment of the idea in man, would seem to 

 be required in the lower organism. The behavior in this stage 

 is that which, in its higher reaches at least, has been called 

 intelligent. 



But so far as the objective occurrences are concerned there 

 would seem to be nothing in even this later stage of behavior 

 involving anything different in principle from what we find in 

 the inorganic world. The only additional feature is this law of 

 the readier attainment of a certain state or action after repetition. 

 We have not attempted to state this law in an entirely adequate 

 manner, but there would seem to be nothing implied by it that 

 is specifically vital, in the sense that it differs in essential principle 

 from what we find in the laws of causality as applied to the inor- 

 ganic world. It certainly by no means requires in itself the action 

 of any "final cause" — that is, of an entity that is at the same time 

 purpose and cause. On the other hand, it undoubtedly does 

 produce that type of behavior which has given rise to the con- 

 ception of the purpose acting as cause. This conception is in 

 itself of course a correct one, so far as we mean by a purpose an 

 actual physiological state of the organism, determining behavior 

 in the same manner as other factors determine it. 



That regulation takes place in the behavior of many animals in 

 the manner above sketched seems to the writer an established 

 fact, and it appears to be perhaps the only clearly intelligible way 

 in which regulatory behavior could be developed in a given 

 individual. 



But we are of course confronted with the fact that many indi- 

 viduals are provided at birth with definitely regulatory methods 

 of reaction to certain stimuli. In these cases the animal is not 

 compelled to go through the process of performing trial move- 

 ments, with subsequent fixation of the successful movement. 

 How are such cases to be accounted for.? 



If the regulatory methods of reaction acquired through the 

 process sketched in the preceding paragraphs could be inherited, 

 there would of course be no difficulty in accounting for such con- 

 genital regulatory reactions, or habits. It is perhaps not going 

 too far to say that this possibility is not yet out of court, though 



