"So the animal finally performs in that situation only the fitting act"
- Edward Thorndike
About this Quote
In this quote, Edward Thorndike is talking about the behavior of animals in particular scenarios. He suggests that animals will only perform the suitable action in an offered situation. This suggests that their habits is not random or unexpected, but rather purposeful and intentional. Thorndike thought that animals learn through trial and error, and will only repeat behaviors that result in a preferred result. Therefore, in a particular situation, an animal will only perform the action that has formerly resulted in a positive result. This quote highlights the idea that animals are capable of discovering and adjusting their habits to different situations, instead of merely acting upon impulse.
"Often and often afterwards, the beloved Aunt would ask me why I had never told anyone how I was being treated. Children tell little more than animals, for what comes to them they accept as eternally established"
"Certainly it is wrong to be cruel to animals and the destruction of a whole species can be a great evil. The capacity for feelings of pleasure and pain and for the form of life of which animals are capable clearly impose duties of compassion and humanity in their case"
