698 THE DESCENT OP MAX. 



emotion of sympathy. Animals endowed with the social 

 instincts take pleasure in one another's company, warn one 

 another of danger, defend and aid one another in many 

 ways. These instincts do not extend to all the individuals 

 of the species, but only to those of the same community. 

 As they are highly beneficial to the species they have in all 

 probability been acquired through natural selection. 



A moral being is one who is capable of reflecting on his 

 past actions and their motives of approving of some and 

 disapproving of others; and the fact that man is the one 

 being who certainly deserves this designation is the great- 

 est of all distinctions between him and the lower animals. 

 But in the fourth chapter I have endeavored to show that 

 the moral sense follows, firstly, from the enduring and ever- 

 present nature ot the social instincts; secondly, from man's 

 appreciation of the approbation and disapprobation of his 

 follows; and, thirdly, from the high activity of his mental 

 faculties, with past impressions extremely vivid; and in 

 these latter respects he differs from the lower animals. 

 Owing to this condition of mind, man cannot avoid look- 

 ing both backward and forward and comparing past im- 

 pressions. Hence after some temporary desire or passion 

 has mastered his social instincts, ii reSects and compares 

 tiie now weakened impression of such past impulses with 

 the ever-present social instincts ; and he then feels that 

 sense of dissatisfaction which all unsatisfied instincts leave 

 behind them, he therefore resolves to act differently for 

 the future and this is conscience. Any instinct perma- 

 nently stronger or more enduring than another gives rise 

 to a feeling which we express by saying that it ought to be 

 obeyed. A pointer dog if able to reflect on his past con- 

 duct would say to himself, I ought (as indeed we say of 

 him) to have pointed at that hare and not have yielded to 

 the passing temptation of hunting it. 



Social animals are impelled partly by a w?sh to aid the 

 members of their community in a general manner, but 

 more commonly to perform certain definite actions. Man 

 is impelled by the same general wish to aid his fellows; 

 but has few or no special instincts. He differs also from 

 the lower animals in the power of expressing his desires by 

 words, which thus become a guide to the aid required and 

 bestowed. The motive to give aid is likewise much modi- 

 fied in man; it no longer consists solely of u blind instinct- 



