INSTINCTIVE, EMOTIONAL AND REFLEX ACTION 319 



animals without taking into consideration the individuals 

 that build and maintain them, we get all mixed up, and 

 our statements become a jumble of meaningless words 

 and mysteries. These actions reflex, automatic, impul- 

 sive, emotional or instinctive, are all intelligent acts. 



What we call a reflex act, like winking the eye, requires 

 just as much intelligence as any other act. However, the 

 intelligence is located in a bunch of cells in the brain that 

 have that particular business in charge, and the other 

 brain cells such as are in charge of receiving sensation? 

 from the outside world through sense organs, like the 

 eye, ear, etc., do hot have to be bothered with such de- 

 tails. Those cells that are in charge of receiving informa- 

 tion from the outside world are what we call our con- 

 sciousness. You can clearly see that it requires conscious 

 intelligence, to be continually on the watch out for dan- 

 gerous materials and to keep them from getting into the 

 eye. The eye requires constant and careful attention and 

 the wonderful manner in which it is taken care of by the 

 cells in charge amidst the many dangers in life, shows 

 loyalty and intelligence. The cells in charge of receiving 

 information from the outside world must attend to this 

 business of receiving, and they cannot be bothered with 

 details like balancing, walking and other muscular de- 

 tails. These actions are for that reason delegated to 

 other cells which we call nerve centers. These actions, 

 when performed by us without any knowledge or con- 

 sciousness, we call reflex, habitual, or automatic. These 

 are simply names for something that so far has not been 

 understood. Writers on psychology have not been able 

 to comprehend that just as much conscious intelligence 

 is required in one place as in another; that the cells in 

 charge of one line of work are just as smart as the cells 

 in charge of work in another place. The cells in the spine 



