C. Lloyd (Conwy Lloyd) Morgan

Born in London in 1852, Conwy Lloyd Morgan became an important early thinker in psychology and zoology. He taught for many years at University College, Bristol, and later served as the university’s principal. His interests ranged widely across animal behavior, evolution, psychology, and philosophy.

Morgan is most often associated with Lloyd Morgan’s canon, a principle urging scholars not to explain an animal’s behavior through higher mental processes if it can be understood in a simpler way. That idea made him a key figure in comparative psychology, where he pushed for close observation and caution against reading too much human-like intention into animal actions.

He also wrote influential books including An Introduction to Comparative Psychology, Animal Behavior, and The Emergence of Novelty. Beyond animal psychology, he became known for his philosophical work on emergence, exploring how genuinely new qualities might arise in the course of evolution. He died in 1936, leaving a legacy that still appears in discussions of animal minds and scientific method.