﻿THE 
  MIND 
  OF 
  AN 
  INSECT 
  

  

  By 
  R. 
  E. 
  Snodqbass 
  

   Bureau 
  of 
  Entomology, 
  United 
  States 
  Department 
  of 
  Agriculture 
  

  

  Many 
  a 
  difference 
  of 
  opinion 
  is 
  merely 
  a 
  difference 
  of 
  definition. 
  

   The 
  " 
  mind 
  of 
  an 
  insect 
  " 
  will 
  be 
  but 
  an 
  empty 
  phrase 
  to 
  him 
  who 
  

   defines 
  the 
  mind 
  as 
  something 
  spiritual. 
  On 
  the 
  other 
  hand, 
  if 
  we 
  

   agree 
  to 
  call 
  the 
  general 
  physiology 
  of 
  the 
  nervous 
  system 
  the 
  mind, 
  

   no 
  dispute 
  will 
  arise 
  when 
  we 
  speak 
  of 
  the 
  mind 
  of 
  an 
  insect, 
  or 
  of 
  

   any 
  other 
  animal. 
  But 
  again, 
  if 
  we 
  limit 
  the 
  term 
  to 
  the 
  special 
  

   nervous 
  activities 
  that 
  involve 
  consciousness, 
  we 
  have 
  a 
  middle 
  

   ground 
  with 
  space 
  for 
  discussion 
  at 
  both 
  ends, 
  and 
  since 
  any 
  propo- 
  

   sition 
  that 
  leaves 
  some 
  room 
  for 
  difference 
  of 
  opinion 
  is 
  more 
  inter- 
  

   esting 
  than 
  one 
  which 
  is 
  either 
  too 
  wide 
  or 
  too 
  narrow, 
  this 
  concep- 
  

   tion 
  of 
  the 
  mind 
  will 
  be 
  a 
  good 
  definition 
  from 
  which 
  to 
  work, 
  i. 
  e., 
  

   to 
  argue. 
  Next, 
  we 
  must 
  have 
  an 
  understanding 
  of 
  what 
  we 
  mean 
  

   by 
  " 
  consciousness." 
  Here, 
  however, 
  the 
  dictionaries 
  relieve 
  us 
  of 
  

   responsibility, 
  for 
  all 
  definitions 
  of 
  consciousness 
  amount 
  to 
  the 
  one 
  

   word, 
  " 
  awareness." 
  True, 
  to 
  define 
  a 
  thing 
  by 
  its 
  synonyms 
  is 
  only 
  

   to 
  shift 
  from 
  one 
  foot 
  to 
  the 
  other, 
  but 
  it 
  is 
  the 
  best 
  that 
  can 
  be 
  done, 
  

   since 
  no 
  one 
  knows 
  anything 
  at 
  all 
  about 
  the 
  true 
  nature 
  of 
  con- 
  

   sciousness, 
  and 
  if 
  one 
  shoe 
  fits 
  and 
  the 
  other 
  jjinches, 
  it 
  is 
  better 
  to 
  

   stand 
  in 
  the 
  easy 
  one. 
  

  

  I. 
  THE 
  SENSORY 
  BASIS 
  OF 
  THE 
  MIND 
  

  

  Awareness 
  comes 
  through 
  the 
  senses. 
  In 
  a 
  last 
  analysis, 
  all 
  that 
  

   we 
  know, 
  all 
  the 
  premises 
  of 
  reason, 
  and 
  every 
  incentive 
  of 
  volition 
  

   depend 
  upon 
  sensory 
  impressions 
  — 
  and 
  the 
  sense 
  organs 
  but 
  pre- 
  

   sent 
  to 
  us 
  either 
  conditions 
  of 
  the 
  external 
  environment 
  or 
  physical 
  

   conditions 
  within 
  us, 
  or 
  at 
  least 
  an 
  illusion 
  of 
  things 
  that 
  passes 
  

   with 
  us 
  for 
  the 
  truth. 
  To 
  realize 
  that 
  the 
  mind 
  depends 
  upon 
  aware- 
  

   ness 
  of 
  external 
  things, 
  or 
  upon 
  the 
  memory 
  of 
  former 
  conscious 
  im- 
  

   pressions, 
  we 
  have 
  only 
  to 
  consider 
  what 
  our 
  own 
  minds 
  would 
  be 
  

   like 
  if 
  we 
  had 
  no 
  consciousness 
  of 
  anything 
  present 
  or 
  past. 
  A 
  close 
  

   inspection 
  of 
  our 
  thoughts 
  soon 
  shows 
  that 
  all 
  our 
  mental 
  processes, 
  

   normal 
  or 
  abnormal, 
  depend 
  on 
  things 
  we 
  have 
  learned 
  through 
  the 
  

  

  387 
  

  

  