FIFTH DAY'S SITTING. 123 



Homo. Your Lordship doubtless perceives that, in order 

 to find these probabilities, Mr. Darwin takes it for granted 

 that the intellectual powers of an animal possessing social 

 instincts may become " as well developed," or nearly as well 

 developed, " as they are in man." He thus seems unable 

 to take a single step towards proving his hypothesis without 

 taking it for granted. 



Lord C. I understand you then to admit, Mr. Darwin, 

 that a moral sense or conscience is impossible unless in a 

 creature whose intellectual powers are at least nearly as 

 well developed as man's. 



Darwin. What I say, my Lord, clearly implies this. 



Lord C. We are thrown back, then, on your previous 

 argument, for you have certainly not proved that any 

 animal possesses intellectual powers capable of bein<* de- 

 veloped into anything approaching to equality with those 

 of man. 



Homo. Your Lordship is perfectly correct. Mr. Darwin 

 has clearly put himself out of court on this question by 

 admitting what, indeed, he cannot help admitting that a 

 moral sense is impossible without human reason. But it 

 may help to bring this case to a more satisfactory settle- 

 ment if your Lordship will listen while Mr. Darwin states 

 the process by which he supposes animals may acquire a 

 moral sense, and while he mentions his views regarding the- 

 nature of the moral sense. 



Lord C. I am quite ready to hear what Mr. Darwin has 

 to say on these points. 



Darwin. What I have to say, my Lord, is this, "Any 

 animal whatever, endowed with well-marked social in- 

 stincts, would inevitably acquire a moral sense or con- 

 science, as soon as its intellectual powers had become as 

 well developed, or nearly as well developed, as in man. 



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