46 The Animal Mind 



tractive effect. In the Amoeba, the positive and negative 

 reactions seem to be opposed. The essential feature of 

 the negative reaction is the checking of movement at the 

 point stimulated ; that of the positive reaction is the reach- 

 ing out of the point stimulated in the direction of the 

 stimulus. This much evidence there is for saying that 

 besides a possible food sensation, the Amoeba may have 

 some dim awareness of affective qualities corresponding 

 to pleasantness and unpleasantness in ourselves. It should, 

 however, be borne in mind that wide differences must go 

 along with the correspondence. In us, pleasantness 

 brings a thrill, a "bodily resonance," due to its tonic effect 

 upon the circulation, breathing, and muscles ; unpleasant- 

 ness has also its accompaniment of vague organic sensation, 

 without which we can hardly conceive what it would be 

 like. In an Amoeba, it is clear that this aspect, as found 

 in human consciousness, must be wholly lacking. Again, 

 in the human mind pleasantness and unpleasantness are 

 connected with various sensation qualities or complexes; 

 we are pleased or displeased usually "at" something 

 definite. The vagueness of the affective qualities in an 

 Amoeba's consciousness can only be remotely suggested by 

 our own vague, diffused sense of bodily well-being or ill- 

 being; and this is undoubtedly given its coloring in our 

 case by the structure and functioning of our internal organs. 

 As for the peculiar behavior of an Amoeba suspended in 

 the water and deprived of solid support, the stimulus for 

 this must lie within the cell body itself. If any conscious- 

 ness accompanies it, then the nearest human analogy to 

 such consciousness is to be found in organic sensations, and 

 these, as has Just been said, must necessarily be in the human 

 mind wholly different in quality from anything to be found 

 in an animal whose structure is as simple as the Amoeba's. 



