GENETICS AND ETHICS 483 



since been passed; but to a limited extent he 

 may choose his present environment and train- 

 ing, he may choose a path which leads to dis- 

 cipline and increased powers of self-control or 

 the reverse, and to this extent only is he respon- 

 sible for what he may become. 



4. Responsibility and Will. — All organisms 

 are capable of responding to chemical and 

 physical stimuli but in addition normal men 

 have the capacity of responding to stimuli of 

 a higher order. By responsibility in this 

 higher sense I understand the ability on the 

 part of the organism to respond to rational, 

 social and ethical stimuli or impulses and to 

 inhibit responses to stimuli of an opposite na- 

 ture, and the corresponding expectation on 

 the part of others that the individual will so 

 respond. The psychical stimuli which influ- 

 ence our behavior are not merely remembered 

 experiences but the words, suggestions, ad- 

 monitions, ideas which come to us from others, 

 as well as the almost endless permutations 

 of such memories and suggestions in our 

 thoughts. The social and ethical stimuli are 

 not merely such as arise from love of reward 



