THE PRIMAL MIND 



in no other light, if the sun is his father and the 

 earth his mother as literally as they are the parents 

 of all other forms of life, then all that he is or can 

 be is latent or potential in nature; then is his human- 

 ity, his reverence, his love as much a part of nature 

 as are the instincts and the cunning of animals a 

 part of nature; then is his literature, his philosophy, 

 his art, his religion a part of nature; then is he as 

 amenable to biological laws and as truly a subject 

 for the natural historian as are the animals; then 

 also are all his follies, sins, shortcomings, supersti- 

 tions, cruelties, ingratitudes, and the rest a part of 

 what we call nature. If not so, then of what are they 

 a part? Man is not separated from nature by his 

 body; he is dependent upon the material elements 

 and forces upon the air, the water, the soil to 

 the same extent and by virtue of the same organs 

 and relations as are all other forms of life. He is 

 begotten and nourished like all other animals, and 

 he dies as they do. He differs from all others in his 

 mental and spiritual equipment, but in view of his 

 humble remote ancestry, as seen in the light of palae- 

 ontology, and the gradations of intelligence and com- 

 plexity of organization between him and them, can 

 there be any doubt that these gifts also come out of 

 nature? Can there be any doubt that what we must 

 call mind pervades at least all organic matter, and, 

 potentially, all other forms? 



Where would you have man's mind come from? 

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