Animal Behaviour

Morgan, C. Lloyd (Conwy Lloyd), 1852-1936Project Gutenberg · United StatesDec 2019

3.9

Word count: 726K words
Chapters: 73

Summary

Project Gutenberg was the first provider of free electronic books, or eBooks. Michael Hart, founder of Project Gutenberg, invented eBooks in 1971 and his memory continues to inspire the creation of eBooks and related technologies today.Animal Behaviour by C. Lloyd MorganAuthor: Morgan, C. Lloyd (Conwy Lloyd), 1852-1936,Language: English, Class: QL: Science: Zoology, Release Date: Mar 31, 2017

Editor's review

Animal Behaviour is a classic work by Conwy Lloyd Morgan, a British psychologist and pioneer of comparative psychology, centered on a discussion of animal behavior. Morgan is known for the "principle of parsimony" (later called Morgan's Canon), which holds that animal behavior should not be explained by appealing to higher psychological faculties than are actually necessary—an approach reflected throughout this book. Combining observation and experiment, it explores levels of behavior such as instinct, habit, and intelligence, in plain language with arguments built up step by step. As a public-domain e-book, it serves as an accessible introduction to early ethology and comparative psychology, and as reference reading for enthusiasts of the history of psychology and biology. Readers should place it in the scientific context of the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries and appreciate its transitional role, rather than judging it by modern ethological standards. The electronic edition makes it easy to search keywords and chapters, and is well suited to note-taking and topical excerpts.

Who it's for

A good fit for

General readers interested in ethology and comparative psychology
Students and researchers in the history of psychology and science
Readers who want to practice academic reading with English primary texts
Those who want to understand Morgan's Canon and principles of behavioral explanation

Not a good fit for

Readers seeking the latest findings in modern ethology
Readers who need a Chinese translation or are not comfortable reading English
Empirical researchers expecting extensive experimental data and statistical charts

Reading tips

Read the table of contents and introduction first to grasp the framework of behavioral levels before moving into the chapters.
Take notes on Morgan's distinctions among instinct, habit, and intelligence as you read, building a concept comparison chart.
Read with the late-nineteenth-century history of psychology in mind, and avoid judging directly by modern standards.
After each chapter, restate its argument in two or three sentences to check whether you have truly understood it.

About the publisher

Project Gutenberg United States · Founded in 1971

Project Gutenberg is a digital publishing project focused on public-domain ebooks. Its publishing direction centers on classic literary works whose copyright has expired, covering genres such as poetry, drama, fiction, and epic. Representative books include Lyrical Ballads by Wordsworth and Coleridge, Proust's Du côté de chez Swann, Shakespeare's Macbeth and The Complete Works of William Shakespeare, Homer's The Iliad, Dante's La Divina Comèdia: Purgatòri, Cervantes's The History of Don Quixote, Volume 2, and Grahame's The Wind in the Willows. Its author resources consist mainly of classic Western writers such as Wordsworth, Proust, Shakespeare, Homer, Dante, Cervantes, Grahame, and Tolstoy. Its publishing feature is the provision of freely accessible ebooks in EPUB and Kindle formats; it is not a traditional publisher, and publicly available information is limited.

FAQ

Is this book in Chinese or English?

According to the source, the book is in English and is a public-domain e-book released by Project Gutenberg; no Chinese translation information is available. Chinese readers will need some English reading ability or tool-assisted reading.

What is the place of Morgan's Canon in the book?

Morgan is known for arguing that animal behavior should not be explained by higher psychological faculties than are actually necessary. The book discusses animal behavior, and readers should note how the author distinguishes among instinct, habit, and intelligence—this is the key to understanding his methodology.

Is this book suitable as a modern ethology textbook?

Not really. It is an earlier classic whose value lies mainly in intellectual history and methodology rather than in reflecting contemporary research. If you need a systematic study of modern ethology, choose a contemporary textbook and use this book as a supplement and historical reference.

What practical advice is there for reading the electronic edition?

Public-domain e-books are easy to search in full text; you can first search keywords such as behaviour, instinct, and habit to locate core passages, then take chapter notes. Since it is an English primary text, use a dictionary and annotation tools and proceed chapter by chapter to avoid the burden of reading it all at once.

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About the author

Morgan, C. Lloyd (Conwy Lloyd), 1852-1936 Author

C. Lloyd Morgan (Conwy Lloyd Morgan, 1852–1936) was a British comparative psychologist and student of animal behaviour, whose name is often associated with "Morgan's Canon" in animal psychology. Three of his works are held here: Animal Behaviour, Animal Life and Intelligence, and Spencer's Philosophy of Science, showing that his writing ranged across the observation of animal behaviour, discussion of animal mind and intelligence, and an assessment of Spencer's philosophy of science. His arguments stress reliance on observed facts and warn against readily explaining animal behaviour as higher reasoning, an orientation that influenced the later development of behaviourism and comparative psychology. Public information is limited, so details of his life and specific posts are not elaborated here.