Animals do not share the physiological and psychological experiences of people. There are no predetermined behaviors. There is no ultimate purpose for any behavior. The stimulus for a voluntary behavior is the same as for an involuntary behavior, namely, an object in the environment. People have no more choice than animals as to how they will behave.
All reality is material.
Our purpose here is to replace the foregoing assumptions with seven new assumptions. There is reason to believe that these fresh postulates can support the comprehensive theory of mammalian behavior that has been absent until now. Of course, it would be naive to expect that these new assumptions will be readily accepted. One need only turn to a startlingly candid disclosure of the continuous and successful effort by The New York Times to destroy the credibility of psychologist William McDougall during the first few decades of this century. This first assumption has been traditionally rejected through the deceptive device of labeling it anthropomorphic.