ORTHOGENESIS 303 



tines, reproductive system, etc., were organised in 

 successive states of consciousness; it is not inconceiv- 

 able that circulation may have been established by the 

 suffering produced by an overloaded stomach de- 

 manding distribution of its contents ; thus might have 

 originated the contractile vesicle of some protozoa." 

 In the long run and through constant use, these 

 manifestations of consciousness become automatic. 

 Conscious acts are not, as generally believed, the 

 result of reflexes; on the contrary, reflexes are the 

 result of conscious acts. "We can affirm," says 

 Cope, "that not only has life preceded organisation, 

 but that consciousness was coincident with the dawn 

 of lif e." 



The process of evolution consists then in the suc- 

 cessive passage of conscious acts into the unconscious, 

 automatic stage, a retrogressive process which Cope 

 calls catagenesis. Such a retrogression, however, is 

 not characteristic of evolution in general; on the con- 

 trary, individuals progress and develop intellectually 

 and the most intelligent of them triumph. 



As soon as the previous acquisitions have gradually 

 passed into the unconscious stage, new conscious and 

 voluntary acquisitions are made, which in turn become 

 automatic and serve as a starting point for future 

 acquisitions. 



Such is the process of evolution which assumes a 

 determined direction in obedience to special laws. 



