ORGANIC EVOLUTION — MENTAL 147 



fast as Instinct is developed, some kind of consciousness 

 becomes nascent." — Frincijjles of Psycliology, vol. i. pp. 

 434-5. 



It seems, therefore, tliat he regards consciousness as 

 an accidental accompaniment of instinct (and presum- 

 ably of reason also), not as an essential part of it. But 

 some instinctive (and rational ^) actions which result 

 from consciousness, such as winking the eye when in 

 fear of injury, are exceedingly simple, whereas some 

 reflex actions, which do not result from consciousness, 

 are highly complex. " No one thinks of sneezing, or 

 the convulsions produced by tickling, as examples of 

 instinctive actions. Yet they are compound reflex actions 

 to a degree of compounding not easily paralleled, and 

 certainly much more so than any of the non-psychical 

 adjustments which are given by Mr. Spencer as illus- 

 trations of instinct." - So also some rational actions 

 are very simple, whereas some instinctive actions are 

 highly complex — c. g. web-spinning by sj)iders. Rational 

 action cannot therefore be correctly described as arising 

 out of " instinctive action which has grown too complex 

 to be perfectly instinctive." Moreover, as I say, instinct 

 does not merge into reason, but is sharply divided 

 from it; there is therefore no more cause to suppose, 

 as Mr. Spencer does, that reason arises out of instinct, 

 than for suj^posing, as Mr. Lewes does, that instinct 

 arises out of reason. 



It is to be noted also that instinctive action is as 

 sharply divided from reflex action by the fact that it 

 results from consciousness, as it is divided from rational 

 action by the fact that it is due to inborn, not acquired, 

 knowledge and ways of thinking and acting. Here also 



^ Winking the eye is probably instinctive in tbe chick ; it is 

 not so in man, for a new-born infant does not wink when the 

 hand is suddenly brouglit near its eye. 



^ Mental Evolution, Romanes. 



