Animal intelligence: An experimental study of the associative processes in animals.

Abstract

IN a review of my monograph on “Animal Intelligence,” in a recent number of NATURE, Mr. Lloyd Morgan credits me with upholding the theory that we have sensations caused by outgoing currents which innervate muscles, and with depending on that theory in some of my own statements about the nature of animals' consciousness. A careless and ambiguous sentence of mine was responsible for this. I believe with Mr. Morgan that the feelings which go with innervations of the muscles are due to currents coming back from the muscles or joints and tendons, and do not think that any of my conclusions in any way involve an acceptance of the other theory. Such sensations due to return currents (together with the images built up from them) were just what I meant by the phrase which he quotes, “the consciousness accompanying a muscular innervation apart from that feeling of the act which comes from seeing oneself move, &c.” It was because I presupposed general agreement in accepting the return-current theory that I was so careless as to leave the obvious ambiguity.