"This idea was also brought out very clearly by Wallace, who emphasized that apparently reasonable activities of man might very well have developed without an actual application of reasoning"

In this quote, Franz Boas is describing the idea that human activities can be developed without using reasoning. He is recommending that even though particular activities may appear to be sensible, they might have been established without the application of thinking. Boas is mentioning Wallace as a source for this idea, indicating that Wallace had formerly discussed this idea. Boas is highlighting that although certain activities might appear to be reasonable, they may have been developed without the use of thinking. This idea is important since it suggests that human beings can establish activities without the use of thinking, which could have ramifications for how we comprehend the development of human behavior.