ABSTRACT
Many kinds of activity other than those indispensable to the mere continuance of physical existence in health, efficiency and comfort are highly promotive of welfare in man and in many animals below man. The idea of welfare can be extended without ambiguity to a great range of activities, covering some of life that is physical and some that is spiritual or psychical, by defining welfare as being nearly synonymous with the common expression: “fullness of life”. In examining the activities of animals for the purpose of ascertaining their successfulness it will be convenient and sufficiently accurate to recognize these activities as occurring at three levels of complexity. The three levels include the level of reflex action, the level of instinctive action, and the level of intelligent action. The chapter presents illustrations of intelligent action at low and high levels.
