| Show ANIMAL intelligence the belief that the lower ant animals nials are controlled and directed in their movements exclusively by instinct that used to be well night universal is rapidly giving way and promises to disappear altogether in a short time prof J M baldwin has an article entitled the story of the mind in the appleton library of useful stories in which a great deal of careful investigation and analysis of this psychic subject are disclosed the professor is a believer in the doctrine that n not ot only does the brute creation think and even reason but that mind pervades all creation and cites as proof of this the additions made to the store of human knowledge by every great law that Is discovered he substitutes prot probabilities bill for chance and claims that what we are to understand by a chance distribution trib ution is one in accordance with law and one of the nature of which can for all practical Beabe closely predicted it if the universe be pregnant with purpose as we all wish to believe he adds why should not this work itself out evolution p purpose h se by an process under I lw sw and if under law why not the law of probabilities probability lee the professor holds in support of his conviction that animals think and reason that they are divided into two classes perfect and imperfect A perfect instinct enables an animal to per form intelligent acts in processes of we without instruction or the benefit of example imperfect instincts are those which are but partially inherent and require instruction or example for their development the bird for instance may possess a spontaneous ten dency to do certain things such as singing nest building etc but he will I 1 not be able to do them adequately or I 1 perfectly if left alone from his birth these are among the things that he must learn how to do from other birds and the instruction la Is usually imparted through example animal capacity to acquire and utilize this knowledge has bee been the field of some of the most moat in te resting research in animal psychology and has led to a new view of the relation of instinct to intelligence whether the origin or instinct iw IA te in reflex action organic selection or in ft reason as has been variously contended it Is plain to the author that mind has had a positive place in its if evolution the subject is one that appears ott on the surface surf ace to be very simple but in reality it is abstruse to a vast degree there be those who do not concede a soul or a mind to the animal kingdom because they do not concede it to the human family and others believe in the spiritual existence of mankind but do not extend their belief to the th brutes let the doubters and disbelievers ask themselves this and answer it in a manner consonant with their in dining clining what is intelligence and front from what Is it derived Is it a substance that man can create or a condition created for all animate things by a power superior to man |
