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Literary notes about concomitant (AI summary)

The word "concomitant" is employed in literature to denote something that naturally accompanies or occurs alongside another phenomenon, often suggesting an inseparable or inherent connection. In one instance, Darwin observes that a certain contraction is not an invariable concomitant of fear, implying that physical symptoms do not obligatorily follow emotional states [1]. In sociological discourse, it is used to underscore how specific conditions, such as ecological competition among plants, inherently trigger reactive processes [2]. Authors also apply the term to describe sensory or experiential phenomena—for instance, the way noise or light can intensify nausea, with these sensations occurring concomitantly [3]—and to illustrate parallel evolutionary or developmental processes, as in the simultaneous evolution of mind and nervous system organization [4]. Overall, "concomitant" serves as a versatile descriptor linking co-occurring events or conditions, whether they be physical, psychological, or social.
  1. Its contraction, however, is not an invariable concomitant of fear; for it probably never acts under the influence of extreme, prostrating terror.
    — from The Expression of the Emotions in Man and Animals by Charles Darwin
  2. In an area already occupied by plants, ecesis and competition are concomitant and quickly produce reactions.
    — from Introduction to the Science of Sociology by E. W. Burgess and Robert Ezra Park
  3. The most familiar examples of them seem to be the increase of pain by noise or light, and the increase of nausea by all concomitant sensations.
    — from The Principles of Psychology, Volume 2 (of 2) by William James
  4. [13] An adequate explanation of nervous evolution involves an adequate explanation of the concomitant evolution of mind.
    — from Spencer's Philosophy of ScienceThe Herbert Spencer Lecture Delivered at the Museum 7 November, 1913 by C. Lloyd (Conwy Lloyd) Morgan

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