General Summary 213 



arise, and the species moves into an environment where 

 these characters are necessary, hence primary. 



8. Natural selection and emotion. Natural selection as- 

 sumes that improvement is wrought out by the elimination 

 of the weak. But emotion, like a far-reaching nervous sys- 

 tem, extends out widely into the environment, and beings 

 are strongly affected by it who are not directly involved in 

 a given event, as when a man sees or hears of an accident. 

 Emotion, then, in arresting development or in cutting 

 back to a simpler state adjusts the organism more quickly 

 to its changed environment than is done by natural selec- 

 tion. 



9. Consciousness, will, and memory are, physiologically, 

 properties of the ultimate germ cell. Consciousness is con- 

 fined to katabolic epochs. Memory is a phenomenon of 

 related parts, a record of some growth or change in the 

 tissues, accompanying a change of direction of nerve cur- 

 rents and of activity. Will is the psychic expression of a 

 reaction after an emotional devolution. A strong will is 

 indicative of dominant katabolism. 



10. Surplus and deficit vs. character and tradition. An 

 economic surplus furnishes energy resulting in growth, 

 which induces emotional changes, so disturbing present 

 adjustment of organism to environment. This impels con- 

 tention with the environment, or a migration to a new en- 

 vironment, so giving rise to a change in character. An 

 economic deficit blocks the first step in the series of 

 changes. It prevents the formation of new tissues, organs, 

 or customs, and hardens or fixes those already in use. 

 Deficits build tradition, morality, imitation, and force upon 

 each age the acquired characters of past ages. Selfishness 

 is a consciously acquired aptitude due to existence under 



