WILLIAM McDOUGALL 147 



believe, on the contrary, that mental, that is to say in- 

 telligent and purposive, activity is of very real causal 

 efficacy, not only in the human species, but all through 

 the animal world and probably In the whole realm of 

 living things. I believe that such activity implies a 

 type of organization that cannot be adequately de- 

 scribed in terms of physics and chemistry as they now 

 exist, Implies, in fact, organization that cannot be 

 expressed In terms of the spatial distribution of mat- 

 ter or of energy or electrons or any other physical 

 entities or substances. I strongly Incline to believe 

 that such organization may. In the case of human 

 beings, be such, or may attain such a degree of sta- 

 bility, that It may survive the dissolution of the body. 

 I do not claim that this Is yet a strongly founded view, 

 but I think there Is much evidence that points this way 

 and I can see nothing In the teachings of science that 

 makes It Impossible or even very Improbable.^ 



I hold that the balance of all the evidence points 

 very strongly to the view that mental activity (in the 

 sense defined above) has been a principal factor In 

 organic evolution, one of increasing influence and effi- 

 cacy as the higher forms of life have been evolved; 

 until In mankind It has become of overwhelming Im- 

 portance, playing the chief part In determining the 

 welfare and the survival of Individuals and of the 

 race. 



I hold also that we have conclusive reasons for hold- 

 ing that the mental activity expressed In all behaviour 

 conforms to laws quite other than those formulated by 



2 Cf. my Modern Materialism and Emergent Evolution. Van 

 Nostrand Co. 1928. 



