THE 
AMERICAN NATURALIST. 
VoL. xix.— FUNE, 1885.—No. 6. 
THE RELATIONS OF MIND AND MATTER. 
BY CHARLES MORRIS. | 
I. THe THREEFOLD NATURE oF EVOLUTION, 
T what level in nature does consciousness first come definitely 
into existence? This is one of the most difficult of the 
problems of science, and one which, perhaps, can never be clearly 
answered, At the limiting boundary of conscious and uncon- 
scious action it is quite impossible to tell, by any means at pres- 
ent at our command, whether blind force or intelligent agency is 
at work. Even within our own bodies it is difficult to limit the 
kingdoms of consciousness and unconsciousness, and equally 
difficult to decide that actions which seem now wholly uncon- 
scious were originally so. This question cannot always be de- 
cided by the claim that here reason has evidently been at work, and 
there only natural selection. For the results of reason and natu- 
ral selection, as applied to the modification of the body and of its 
habits, are singularly alike. In each case adaptation to external 
conditions is produced, and there can be only certain definite 
adaptations to each limited set of conditions. Thus if the results 
of two energies are of precisely the same character, it is impossi- 
ble to decide from these results which energy has been active. 
Where the change has been too rapid for the powers of natural 
selection, we may be sure that consciousness has been at work. 
But in the case of very deliberate changes we cannot positively 
decide to which force they are due, and some degree of conscious 
action may extend to a much lower level in the realm of nature 
than we usually imagine. On the other hand natural selection 
may be the sole active agency up to a somewhat high level. 
Evolution has its three distinct and dissimilar phases, on each 
VOL. XIX.—NO., VI. 35 
