Bionomics. 197 



sexual attraction of entire organisms. When we find a 

 centralized nervous system developed, we may speak of 

 two organisms being in varying degrees aware of one 

 another. The awareness is by and by accompanied by 

 a reflex of emotion, the creatures seem to be fond of 

 each other. Various aesthetic attractions are added to 

 the primary ones, and, on a long inclined plane, " love " 

 emerges. At the same time, however, there has evolved 

 a parento-filial affection, and it is easy to understand 

 how "love", broadened in the family, returns enhanced 

 to the pair. And along with this there is also the 

 evolution of a sense of kinship, which is expressed in 

 mutual aid. 



Our point is simply that sexual attraction, kinship, 

 altruism, and love (or whatever names be given to their 

 pre-human analogues) are important facts and factors 

 in life, which must be taken account of in connection 

 with the struggle for existence. This has been said 

 many times by Spencer, Darwin himself, Fiske, Geddes, 

 Kropotkine, Drummond, Coe, and others. 



Just as Empedocles recognized two ultimate forces 

 love and hate, so Spencer has insisted on recognizing 

 altruism as well as egoism in nature. " If we define 

 altruism as being all action which, in the normal course 

 of things, benefits others instead of benefiting self, 

 then, from the dawn of life altruism has been no less 

 essential than egoism. Though primarily it is depen- 

 dent on egoism, yet secondarily egoism is dependent on 

 it." "Self-sacrifice is no less primordial than self-pre- 

 servation." 



From another side the conception of the struggle for 

 existence has been modified in post-Darwinian days. 

 It has been deepened by a recognition of the struggle 

 of parts within the organism; the struggle of organs, 

 tissues, and cells ; the idea is verifiable in the history of 

 ova and spermatozoa ; and Weismann has suggested its 

 application to the behaviour of the minute particles 

 which compose the germ-plasm. 



When we bear in mind (a) the great variety of cases 

 in which the phrase cannot be literally used; (b) the 

 great number of cases in which there is no direct com- 



