46 MARXISM AND DARWINISM. 



and acts, however, there comes into his head a long 

 chain of thoughts and considerations. His actions will 

 depend upon the result of these considerations. 



Whence comes this difference? It is not hard to 

 see that it is closely associated with the use of tools. 

 In the same manner that thought arises between 

 man's impressions and acts, the tool comes in between 

 man and that which he seeks to attain. Furthermore, 

 since the tool stands between man and outside objects, 

 thought must arise between the impression and the 

 performance. Man does not start empty-handed 

 against his enemy or tear down fruit, but he goes 

 about it in a roundabout manner, he takes a tool, a 

 weapon (weapons are also tools) which he uses 

 against the hostile animal; therefore his mind must 

 also make the same circuit, not follow the first impres- 

 sions, but it must think of the tools and then follow 

 to the object. This material circuit causes the mental 

 circuit; the thoughts leading to a certain act are the 

 result of the tools necessary for the performance of 

 the act. 



Here we took a very simple case of primitive tools 

 and the first stages of mental development. The more 

 complicated technique becomes, the greater is the 

 material circuit, and as a result the mind has to make 

 greater circuits. When each made his own tools, the 

 thought of hunger and struggle must have directed 

 the human mind to the making of tools. Here we 

 have a longer cham of thoughts between the impres- 

 sions and the ultimate satisfaction of men's needs. 

 When we come down to our own times, we find that 

 this chain is very long and complicated. The worker 

 who is discharged foresees the hunger that is bound 

 to come ; he buys a newspaper in order to see whether 



