318 The Unity of the Organism 



and reflex activities, the feeling-impulse of which comes 

 through intelligence, but is not of intelligence — is not under 

 the direct guidance and control of intelligence. According 

 to this interpretation no animal, no matter how highly con- 

 stituted as to instincts and reflexes, could have emotion un- 

 less it had intelligence. Emotional activity is instinctive and 

 reflex activity of an intelligent organism, with, however, the 

 element of intellect eliminated or in abeyance for the time 

 being as regards these particular acts. This is what I would 

 call the natural history description of emotion. And I be- 

 lieve it is in essential accord with James's conception of emo- 

 tion, but his description is a psycho-physiological rather 

 than a natural history description. I am quite sure that 

 what I have just said means virtually the same as the follow- 

 ing: "7/ we fancy some strong emotion, and then try to ab- 

 stract from our consciousness of it all the feelings of its 

 bodily symptoms, we find we have nothing left behind, no 

 'mind-stuff*' out of which the emotion can be constituted, 

 and that a cold and neutral state of intellectual perception 

 is all that remains."^ 



I will now point out wherein I believe the natural history 

 description and interpretation of emotion are somewhat truer 

 and better than those given by James and other physiologi- 

 cal psychologists — and, I may add — very much truer and 

 better than those given by certain writers who approach the 

 subject from the physiological side pure and simple. James's 

 epigrammatic statements about being afraid because we 

 tremble when we meet a bear in the woods ; about being sorry 

 because we cry ; about being angry because we strike, do his 

 OAvn position some injustice, I think. This is an instance in 

 which his gift for piquant writing succeeded too well. But 

 the fact ought to be noticed that what he actually says is 

 that as between the usual statement, namely, that we tremble 

 because we are afraid, cry because we are sorry, strike be- 

 cause we are angry, and his way of stating the case, his^way is 



