FREE WILL AND AUTOMATISM 277 



in abeyance; he "lets himself po" and merely follows 

 the automatic impulses of his brain. 



Ph}-siologists have done much to localise sections of 

 the brain as controlling various actions of the body, and 

 thus undoubtedly are they also the physical bases of 

 many traits of character which are often hereditary. 



Now this is absolutely necessary with animals. Thus, 

 for example, if one is attacked by another, it should 

 have combativeness and courage. These traits are at 

 once automatically called out by the onslaught of its 

 enemy. 



Again, animals are automaticall\' impelled by the 

 sexual instinct (based on the cerebellum) at certain 

 periods. 



In graminivorous animals the fighting instinct has 

 degenerated ; anger and courage are more or less confined 

 to the males. Timidity is developed instead, and has 

 induced them to crowd together, not for any altruistic 

 or mutual aid ; but for self-interest and self-protection ; 

 as the chance of being caught by a carnivorous enemy is 

 greatly reduced for each individual. 



Dr. F, Galton observed in South Africa that if a 

 particularly timid individual happened to find itself at 

 some distance from the herd, it rushed back, and was 

 not satisfied until it had " bathed itself" in the midst of 

 the others. 



It is admittedly true according to many persons that 

 fixed regions of the brain of man are correlated with 

 traits of character as well as necessary bodily actions. 



But the difference between Man and Animals is that 

 while these traits are entirely automatic in animals — 

 certain traits for example are peculiar to certain breeds 

 of dogs, respectively — in man they would also be so 

 precisely as in animals if he had no self-consciousness ; so 



