the foundations of personality-第24章

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e　periodic　and　are　dependent　upon　the　activities　of　glands　and　tissues　not　within　our　control；　the　desires　may　never　be　completely　squelched　and　may　arise　as　often　as　some　outer　stimulus　brings　them　into　activity；　to　plague　and　disorder　the　life　of　the　conscious　personality。　3。　With　this　preliminary　consideration　of　instinct；　we　pass　on　to　certain　of　the　phases　of　intelligence。　How　to　define　intelligence　is　a　difficulty　best　met　by　ignoring　definition。　But　this　much　is　true：　that　the　prime　function　of　intelligence　is　to　store　up　the　past　and　present　experiences　so　that　they　can　be　used　in　the　future；　and　that　it　adds　to　the　rigid　mechanism　of　instinct　a　plastic　force　which　by　inhibiting　and　exciting　activity　according　to　need　steers　the　organism　through　intricate　channels。　Instinct；　guided　by　a　plan；　conveniently　called　Nature's　plan；　is　not　itself　a　planner。　The　discharge　of　one　mechanism　discharges　another　and　so　on　through　a　series　until　an　end　is　reached；an　end　apparently　not　foreseen　by　the　organism　but　acting　for　the　good　of　the　race　to　which　the　organism　belongs。　Intelligence；　often　enough　not　conscious　of　the　plans　of　Nature；＇1＇　indeed；　decidedly　ignorant　of　these　plans；　works　for　some　good　established　by　itself　out　of　stimuli　set　up　by　the　instincts。　It　plans；　looks　backward　and　forward；　reaches　the　height　of　reflecting　on　itself；　gets　to　recognize　the　existence　of　instinct　and　sets　itself　the　task　of　controlling　instinct。　Often　enough　it　fails；　instinct　breaks　through；　takes　possession　of　the　means　of　achievement；　accomplishes　its　purposebut　the　failure　of　intelligence　to　control　and　the　misguided　control　it　attempts　and　assumes　are　merely　part　of　the　general　imperfections　of　the　organism。　A　perfect　intelligence　would　be　clearly　able　to　understand　its　instincts；　to　give　each　of　them　satisfaction　by　a　perfect　compromise；　would　pick　the　methods　for　accomplishment　without　error；　and　storing　up　the　past　experiences　without　loss；　would　meet　the　future　according　to　a　plan。

＇1＇　We　are　at　this　stage　in　a　very　dark　place　in　human　thought。　We　say　that　instincts　seek　the　good　of　the　race；　or　have　some　racial　purpose；　as　the　sexual　instinct　has　procreation　as　its　end。　But　the　lover　wooing　his　sweetheart　has　no　procreation　plan　in　his　mind；　he　is　urged　on　by　a　desire　to　win　this　particular　girl；　a　desire　which　is　in　part　sexual；　in　part　admiration　of　her　beauty；　grace；　and　charm；　again　it　is　the　pride　of　possession　and　achievement；　and　further　is　the　result　of　the　social　and　romantic　ideals　taught　in　books；　theaters；　etc。　He　may　not　have　the　slightest　desire　for　a　child；　as　individual　he　plans　one　thing；but　we　who　watch　him　see　in　his　approach　the　racial　urge　for　procreation　and　even　disregard　his　purposes　as　unimportant。　Who　and　what　is　the　Race；　where　does　it　reside；　how　can　it　have　purposes？　Call　it　Nature；　and　we　are　no　better　off。　We　must　fall　back　on　an　ancient　personalization　of　forces；　and　our　minds　rest　easier　when　we　think　of　a　Planner　operating　in　all　of　us　and　perhaps　smiling　as　He　witnesses　our　strivings。

As　we　study　the　nervous　systems　of　animals；　we　find　that　with　the　apparent　growth　of　intelligence　there　is　a　development　of　that　part　of　the　brain　called　the　cerebrum。　In　so　far　as　certain　other　parts　of　the　brain　are　concernedmedulla；　pons；　mid…brain；　basal　ganglia　cerebellumwe　who　are　human　are　not　essentially　superior　to　the　dog；　the　cow；　the　elephant　or　the　monkey。　But　when　the　neopallium；　or　the　cerebrum；　is　considered；　the　enormous　superiority　of　man　（and　the　superiority　of　the　higher　over　the　lower　animals）　becomes　striking。　Anatomically　the　cerebrum　is　a　complex　elaboration　of　cells　and　fibers　that　have　these　main　purposes：　First；　to　record　in　perfect　and　detailed　fashion　the　EXPERIENCES　of　the　organism；　so　that　here　are　memory　centers　for　visual　and　auditory　experiences；　for　skin；　joint　and　bone　experiences　of　all　kinds；　speech　memories；　action　memories；　and　undoubtedly　for　the　recording　in　some　way　not　understood　of　the　pleasure…pain　feelings。　Second；　it　has　a　hold；　a　grip　on　the　motor　mechanism　of　the　body；　on　the　muscles　that　produce　action；　so　that　the　intelligence　can　nicely　adapt　movement　to　the　circumstances；　to　purpose；　and　can　inhibit　the　movements　that　arise　reflexly。　Thus　in　certain　diseases；　where　the　part　of　the　brain　involved　in　movement　is　injured；　voluntary　movement　disappears　but　reflex　action　is　increased。　Third；　the　neopallium；　or　cerebrum；　is　characterized　by　what　are　known　as　association　tracts；　i。e。；　connections　of　intricate　kinds　which　link　together　areas　of　the　brain　having　different　functions　and　thus　allow　for　combinations　of　activity　of　all　kinds。　The　brain　thus　acts　to　increase　the　memories　of　the　past；　and；　as　we　all　know；　man　is　probably　the　only　animal　to　whom　the　past　is　a　controlling　force；　sometimes　even　an　overpowering　force。　It　acts　to　control　the　conduct　of　the　individual；　to　delay　or　to　inhibit　it；　and　it　acts　to　increase　in　an　astonishing　manner　the　number　of　reactions　possible。　One　stimulus　arousing　cerebral　excitement　may　set　going　mechanisms　of　the　brain　through　associated　tracts　that　will　produce　conduct　of　one　kind　or　another　for　years　to　come。　We　spoke　in　a　previous　chapter　of　choice　as　an　integral　function　of　the　organism。　While　choice；　when　two　competing　stimuli　awake　competing　mechanisms；　may　be　non…cerebral　in　its　nature；　largely　speaking　it　is　a　function　of　the　cerebrum；　of　the　intelligence。　To　choose　is　a　constant　work　of　the　intelligence；　just　as　to　doubt　is　an　unavailing　effort　to　find　a　choice。　Choice　blocked　is　doubt；　one　of　the　unhappiest　of　mental　states。　I　shall　not　pretend　to　solve　the　mystery　of　WHO　chooses；WHAT　chooses；　perhaps　there　is　a　constant　immortal　ego；　perhaps　there　is　built　up　a　series　of　permanently　excited　areas　which　give　rise　to　ego　feeling　and　predominate　in　choice；　perhaps　competing　mechanisms；　as　they　struggle　（in　Sherrington's　sense）　for　motor　pathways；　give　origin　to　the　feeling　of　choice。　At　any　rate；　because　we　choose　is　the　reason　that　the　concept　of　will　has　arisen　in　the　minds　of　both　philosopher　and　the　man　in　the　street；　and　much　of　our　feeling　of　worth；　individuality　and　powermental　factors　of　huge　importance　in　characterarises　from　the　power　to　choose。　Choice　is　influenced　byor　it　is　a　net　result　ofthe　praise　and　blame　of　others；　conscience；　memory；　knowledge　of　the　past；　plans　for　the　future。　It　is　the　fulcrum　point　of　conduct！　That　animals　have　intelligence　in　the　sense　in　which　I　have　used　the　term　is　without　doubt。　No　one　who　reads　the　work　of　Morgan；　the　Peckhams；　Fabre；　Hobhouse　and　other　recent　investigators　of　the　instincts　can　doubt　it。　Whether　animals　think　in　anything　like　the　form　our　thought　takes　is　another　matter。　We　are　so　largely　verbal　in　thought　that　speech　and　the　capacity　to　speak　seem　intimately　related　to　thought。　For　the　mechanics　of　thought；　for　the　laws　of　the　association　of　ideas；　the　reader　is　referred　to　the　psychologists。　That　minds　differ　according　to　whether　they　habitually　follow　one　type　of　associations　or　another　is　an　old　story。　The　most　annoying　individual　in　the　world　is　the　one　whose　associations　are　unguided　by　a　controlling　purpose；　who　rambles　along　misdirected　by　sound　associations　or　by　accidental　resemblances　in　structure　of　words；　or　by　remote　meanings；who　starts　off　to　tell　you　that　she　（the　garrulous　old　lady）　went　to　the　store　to　get　some　eggs；　that　she　has　a　friend　in　the　country　whose　boy　is　in　the　army　（aren't　the　Germans　dreadful；　she's　glad　she's　born　in　this　country）；　city　life　is　very　hard；　it　isn't　so　healthy　as　the　country；　thank　God　her　health　is　good；　etc。；　etc。；〃　and　she　never　arrives　at　the　grocery　store　to　buy　the　eggs。　The　organizing　of　the　associations　through　a　goal　idea　is　part　of　that　organizing　energy　of　the　mind　and　character　previously　spoken　of。　The　mind　tends　automatically　to　follow　the　stimuli　that　reach　it；　but　the　organizing　energy　has　as　one　of　its　functions　the　preventing　of　this；　and　controlled　thinking　follows　associations　that　are；　as　it　were；　laid　down　by　the　goal。　In　fatigue；　in　illness；　in　certain　of　the　mental　diseases；　the　failure　of　the　organizing　energy　brings　about　failure　〃to　concentrate〃　and　the　tyranny　of　casual　associations　annoys