第1章

1

WEmust,inthenextplace,investigatethesubjectofthedream,andfirstinquiretowhichofthefacultiesofthesoulitpresentsitself,i.e.whethertheaffectionisonewhichpertainstothefacultyofintelligenceortothatofsense—perception;forthesearetheonlyfacultieswithinusbywhichweacquireknowledge.

If,then,theexerciseofthefacultyofsightisactualseeing,thatoftheauditoryfaculty,hearing,and,ingeneralthatofthefacultyofsense—perception,perceiving;andiftherearesomeperceptionscommontothesenses,suchasfigure,magnitude,motion,&c.,whilethereareothers,ascolour,sound,taste,peculiar[eachtoitsownsense];andfurther,ifallcreatures,whentheeyesareclosedinsleep,areunabletosee,andtheanalogousstatementistrueoftheothersenses,sothatmanifestlyweperceivenothingwhenasleep;wemayconcludethatitisnotbysense—perceptionweperceiveadream.

Butneitherisitbyopinionthatwedoso.For[indreams]wenotonlyassert,e.g.thatsomeobjectapproachingisamanorahorse[whichwouldbeanexerciseofopinion],butthattheobjectiswhiteorbeautiful,pointsonwhichopinionwithoutsense—perceptionassertsnothingeithertrulyorfalsely.Itis,however,afactthatthesoulmakessuchassertionsinsleep.Weseemtoseeequallywellthattheapproachingfigureisaman,andthatitiswhite.[Indreams],too,wethinksomethingelse,overandabovethedreampresentation,justaswedoinwakingmomentswhenweperceivesomething;forweoftenalsoreasonaboutthatwhichweperceive.

So,too,insleepwesometimeshavethoughtsotherthanthemerephantasmsimmediatelybeforeourminds.Thiswouldbemanifesttoanyonewhoshouldattendandtry,immediatelyonarisingfromsleep,toremember[hisdreamingexperience].Therearecasesofpersonswhohaveseensuchdreams,those,forexample,whobelievethemselvestobementallyarrangingagivenlistofsubjectsaccordingtothemnemonicrule.Theyfrequentlyfindthemselvesengagedinsomethingelsebesidesthedream,viz.insettingaphantasmwhichtheyenvisageintoitsmnemonicposition.Henceitisplainthatnotevery\'phantasm\'insleepisameredream—image,andthatthefurtherthinkingwhichweperformthenisduetoanexerciseofthefacultyofopinion.

Somuchatleastisplainonallthesepoints,viz.thatthefacultybywhich,inwakinghours,wearesubjecttoillusionwhenaffectedbydisease,isidenticalwiththatwhichproducesillusoryeffectsinsleep.So,evenwhenpersonsareinexcellenthealth,andknowthefactsofthecaseperfectlywell,thesun,nevertheless,appearstothemtobeonlyafootwide.Now,whetherthepresentativefacultyofthesoulbeidenticalwith,ordifferentfrom,thefacultyofsense—perception,ineithercasetheillusiondoesnotoccurwithoutouractuallyseeingor[otherwise]perceivingsomething.Eventoseewronglyortohearwronglycanhappenonlytoonewhoseesorhearssomethingreal,thoughnotexactlywhathesupposes.Butwehaveassumedthatinsleeponeneithersees,norhears,norexercisesanysensewhatever.Perhapswemayregarditastruethatthedreamerseesnothing,yetasfalsethathisfacultyofsense—perceptionisunaffected,thefactbeingthatthesenseofseeingandtheothersensesmaypossiblybetheninacertainwayaffected,whileeachoftheseaffections,asdulyaswhenheisawake,givesitsimpulseinacertainmannertohis[primary]facultyofsense,thoughnotinpreciselythesamemanneraswhenheisawake.Sometimes,too,opinionsays[todreamers]justastothosewhoareawake,thattheobjectseenisanillusion;atothertimesitisinhibited,andbecomesamerefollowerofthephantasm.

Itisplainthereforethatthisaffection,whichwename\'dreaming\',isnomereexerciseofopinionorintelligence,butyetisnotanaffectionofthefacultyofperceptioninthesimplesense.Ifitwerethelatteritwouldbepossible[whenasleep]tohearandseeinthesimplesense.

Howthen,andinwhatmanner,ittakesplace,iswhatwehavetoexamine.Letusassume,whatisindeedclearenough,thattheaffection[ofdreaming]pertainstosense—perceptionassurelyassleepitselfdoes.Forsleepdoesnotpertaintooneorganinanimalsanddreamingtoanother;bothpertaintothesameorgan.

Butsincewehave,inourworkOntheSoul,treatedofpresentation,andthefacultyofpresentationisidenticalwiththatofsense—perception,thoughtheessentialnotionofafacultyofpresentationisdifferentfromthatofafacultyofsense—perception;andsincepresentationisthemovementsetupbyasensoryfacultywhenactuallydischargingitsfunction,whileadreamappearstobeapresentation(forapresentationwhichoccursinsleep—whethersimplyorinsomeparticularway—iswhatwecalladream):itmanifestlyfollowsthatdreamingisanactivityofthefacultyofsense—perception,butbelongstothisfacultyquapresentative.

2

Wecanbestobtainascientificviewofthenatureofthedreamandthemannerinwhichitoriginatesbyregardingitinthelightofthecircumstancesattendingsleep.Theobjectsofsense—perceptioncorrespondingtoeachsensoryorganproducesense—perceptioninus,andtheaffectionduetotheiroperationispresentintheorgansofsensenotonlywhentheperceptionsareactualized,butevenwhentheyhavedeparted.

Whathappensinthesecasesmaybecomparedwithwhathappensinthecaseofprojectilesmovinginspace.Forinthecaseofthesethemovementcontinuesevenwhenthatwhichsetupthemovementisnolongerincontact[withthethingsthataremoved].Forthatwhichsettheminmotionmovesacertainportionofair,andthis,inturn,beingmovedexcitesmotioninanotherportion;andso,accordingly,itisinthiswaythat[thebodies],whetherinairorinliquids,continuemoving,untiltheycometoastandstill.