1896.] “ A New Factor in Evolution.” 707 
win’s vagueness and confusion of statement and longing to be 
scientific may here have got the best of these outgoing articu- 
lations—perhaps, they do not and could not work according to 
any known axioms of science even here! Let us examine this. 
Upon close consideration it becomes obvious that Mr. Bald- 
win’s “ New Factor” not only interrupts all normal relations 
of intensity between incoming stimuli and outgoing discharges 
—so that feeble stimuli, if beneficial, now produce “ heightened 
discharges,” and vidlent stifhuli, if detrimental, are “ tempered 
to the shorn lamb”—but also it wholly transforms their mechan- 
ical effects. Not only now do pleasures produce “expansion ” 
and pains “ restrictions,” but violent pleasure-discharges pro- 
duce violent expansions, and violent pain-discharges produce 
violent contractions. Or, at least, I suppose they do; though 
here is the very pesky plague of it, to know what Mr. Baldwin 
does conceive to happen. For, if now the “discharges” do 
thus cause literal bodily expansion or contraction, in due ac- 
cord with their intensity, it is impossible to conceive what 
“heightening ” or “restricting” has to do with the case. And, 
on the other hand, if “ expansion” refers to “ degree of activity,” 
and “restriction ” means “ quiescence,” I give up trying to un- 
derstand the matter, and plead insanity and hallucination at 
once; for then the innumerable acts which seem to be per- 
formed before my eyes, both expressively and preventatively 
of pain must be “restricted” absolutely, and by no possible 
means actually can happen ; and the cause of my derangement 
in conceiving that they do is surely sprung from my over- 
wrought sympathy for all physiologists or psychologists who 
shall attempt to measure the amount of restriction necessary 
to be applied to each varying intensity of incoming detrimental 
stimulus in order to reduce it to a constantly maintained zero 
of quiescence, and not have the least little bit over to set the 
creature wiggling right up to its detrimental persecutor, and 
perpetuate “Circular Reaction” therewith, just as if it were 
beneficial.® 
-5 The physiological cult of the traditional Pain-Pleasure School juggle much 
with this “heighted and restricted central discharge,” as if it were ordinary 
neural activity. But when all obfuscation is nailed to the board it becomes plain 
that, since the muscular effects come after the motor nerve-currents are formed, 
