第3章

2Imayperhapsreferheretomy_Principles_of_Psychology,vol。I,pp。459ff。Itreallyseems’weird’tohavetoargue(asIamforcednowtodo)forthenotionthatitisonesheetofpaper(withitstwosurfacesandallthatliesbetween)whichisbothundermypenandonthetablewhileIwrite——the’claim’thatitistwosheetsseemssobrazen。YetIsometimessuspecttheabsolutistsofsincerity!

106

theunity(nowtakenasabarepostulateandnolongerasathingpositivelyperceivable)totheregionoftheAbsolute’smysteries。Idonoteasilyfathomthis,Isay,forthesaidopponentsareabovemereverbalquibbling;yetallthatIcancatchintheirtalkisthesubstitutionofwhatistrueofcertainwordsforwhatistrueofwhattheysignify。Theystaywiththewords,——notreturningtothestreamoflifewhenceallthemeaningofthemcame,andwhichisalwaysreadytoreabsorbthem。

IV

Foraughtthisargumentproves,then,wemaycontinuetobelievethatonethingcanbeknownbymanyknowers。Butthedenialofonethinginmanyrelationsisbutoneapplicationofastillprofounderdialecticdifficulty。

Mancan’tbegood,saidthesophist,formanis_man_and_good_isgood;andHegel(1)andHerbartintheirday,morerecentlyA。Spir,(2)andmost——-

1[Fortheauthor’scriticismofHegel’sviewofrelations,cf。

_Will_to_Believe_,pp。278-279,ED。]

2[Cf。A。Spir:_Denken_und_Wirklichkeit_,partI,bk。III,ch。IV

(containingalsoaccountofHerbart)。ED。]

107

recentlyandelaboratelyofall,Mr。Bradley,informsusthatatermcanlogicallyonlybeapunctiformunit,andthatnotoneoftheconjunctiverelationsbetweenthings,whichexperienceseemstoyield,isrationallypossible。

Ofcourse,iftrue,thiscutsoffradicalempiricismwithoutevenashilling。Radicalempiricismtakesconjunctiverelationsattheirfacevalue,holdingthemtobeasrealasthetermsunitedbythem。(1)Theworlditrepresentsasacollection,somepartsofwhichareconjunctivelyandothersdisjunctivelyrelated。Twoparts,themselvesdisjoined,mayneverthelesshangtogetherbyintermediarieswithwhichtheyareseverallyconnected,andthewholeworldeventuallymayhangtogethersimilarly,inasmuchas_some_pathofconjunctivetransitionbywhichtopassfromoneofitspartstoanothermayalwaysbediscernible。Suchdeterminatelyvarioushanging-togethermaybecalled_concatenated_union,todistinguishitfromthe’through-and-through’typeofunion,——-

1[Seeabove,pp。42,49。]

108

’eachinallandallineach’(unionof_total_

_conflux_,asonemightcallit),whichmonisticsystemsholdtoobtainwhenthingsaretakenintheirabsolutereality。Inaconcatenatedworldapartialconfluxoftenisexperienced。

Ourconceptsandoursensationsareconfluent;

successivestatesofthesameego,andfeelingsofthesamebodyareconfluent。Wheretheexperienceisnotofconflux,itmaybeofconterminousness(thingswithbutonethingbetween);orofcontiguousness(nothingbetween);

oroflikeness;orofnearness;orofsimultaneousness;orofin-ness;orofon-ness;

oroffor-ness;orofsimplewith-ness;orevenofmereand-ness,whichlastrelationwouldmakeofhoweverdisjointedaworldotherwise,atanyrateforthatoccasionauniverse’ofdiscourse。’

NowMr。Bradleytellsusthatnoneoftheserelations,asweactuallyexperiencethem,canpossiblybereal。(1)Mynextduty,accordingly,——-

1Hereagainthereadermustbewareofslippingfromlogicalintophenomenalconsiderations。Itmaywellbethatwe_attribute_acertainrelationfalsely,becausethecircumstancesofthecase,beingcomplex,havedeceivedus。Atarailwaystationwemaytakeourowntrain,andnottheonethatfillsourwindow,tobemoving。Wehereputmotioninthewrongplaceintheworld,butinitsoriginalplacethemotionisapartofreality。WhatMr。Bradleymeansisnothinglikethis,butratherthatsuchthingsasmotionarenowherereal,andthat,evenintheiraboriginalandempiricallyincorrigibleseats,relationsareimpossibleofcomprehension。

109

mustbetorescueradicalempiricismfromMr。

Bradley。Fortunately,asitseemstome,hisgeneralcontention,thattheverynotionofrelationisunthinkableclearly,hasbeensuccessfullymetbymanycritics。(1)

Itisaburdentotheflesh,andaninjusticebothtoreadersandtothepreviouswriters,torepeatgoodargumentsalreadyprinted。So,innoticingMr。Bradley,Iwillconfinemyselftotheinterestsofradicalempiricismsolely。

V

Thefirstdutyofradicalempiricism,takinggivenconjunctionsattheirface-value,istoclasssomeofthemasmoreintimateandsomeasmoreexternal。Whentwotermsare_similar_,theirverynaturesenterintotherelation。

——-

1ParticularlysobyAndrewSethPringle-Pattison,inhis_Man_and_

_the_Cosmos_;byL。T。Hobhouse,inchapterXII(\"TheValidityofJudgement\")ofhis_Theory_of_Knowledge_;andbyF。C。S。Schiller,inhis_Humanism_,essayXI。Otherfatalreviews(inmyopinion)areHodder’s,inthe_Psychological_Review_,vol。I[1894],p。307;Stout’sinthe_Proceedings_of_the_Aristotelian_Society,1901-2,p。1;andMacLennan’sin[_The_Journal_of_Philosophy,_Psychology_and_Scientific_Methods_,vol。I,1904,p。403]。

110

Being_what_theyare,nomatterwhereorwhen,thelikenessnevercanbedenied,ifasserted。

Itcontinuespredictableaslongasthetermscontinue。Otherrelations,the_where_andthe_when_,forexample,seemsadventitious。Thesheetofpapermaybe’off’or’on’thetable,forexample;andineithercasetherelationinvolvesonlytheoutsideofitsterms。Havinganoutside,bothofthem,theycontributebyittotherelation。Itisexternal:theterm’sinnernatureisirrelevanttoit。Anybook,anytable,mayfallintotherelation,whichiscreated_pro_

_hac_vice_,notbytheirexistence,butbytheircausalsituation。Itisjustbecausesomanyoftheconjunctionsofexperienceseemsoexternalthataphilosophyofpureexperiencemusttendtopluralisminitsontology。Sofarasthingshavespace-relations,forexample,wearefreetoimaginethemwithdifferentoriginseven。Iftheycouldgetto_be_,andgetintospaceatall,thentheymayhavedonesoseparately。Oncethere,however,theyare_additives_tooneanother,and,withnoprejudicetotheirnatures,allsortsofspace-relationsmaysupervenebetween111

them。Thequestionofhowthingscouldcometobeanyhow,iswhollydifferentfromthequestionwhattheirrelations,oncethebeingaccomplished,mayconsistin。

Mr。Bradleynowaffirmsthatsuchexternalrelationsasthespace-relationswhichweheretalkofmustholdofentirelydifferentsubjectsfromthoseofwhichtheabsenceofsuchrelationsmightamomentpreviouslyhavebeenplausiblyasserted。Notonlyisthe_situation_

differentwhenthebookisonthetable,butthe_book_itself_isdifferentasabook,fromwhatitwaswhenitwasoffthetable。(1)Headmitsthat\"suchexternalrelationsseempossibleandevenexisting……Thatyoudonotalterwhatyoucompareorrearrangeinspaceseemstocommonsensequiteobvious,andthaton——-

1Oncemore,don’tslipfromlogicalintophysicalsituations。Ofcourse,ifthetablebewet,itwillmoistenthebook,orifitbeslightenoughandthebookbeheavyenough,thebookwillbreakitdown。

Butsuchcollateralphenomenaarenotthepointatissue。Thepointiswhetherthesuccessiverelations’on’and’not-on’canrationally(notphysically)holdofthesameconstantterms,abstractlytaken。

ProfessorA。E。Taylordropsfromlogicalintomaterialconsiderationswhenheinstancescolor-contrastasaproofthatA,’ascontra-

distinguishedfromB,isnotthesamethingasmereAnotinanywayaffected’(_Elements_of_Metaphysics_,p。145)。Notethesubstitution,for’related’oftheword’affected,’whichbegsthewholequestion。

112

theothersidethereareasobviousdifficultiesdoesnotoccurtocommonsenseatall。AndI

willbeginbypointingoutthesedifficulties……

Thereisarelationintheresult,andthisrelation,wehear,istomakenodifferenceinitsterms。But,ifso,towhatdoesitmakeadifference?

[_Does_n’t_it_make_a_difference_to_us_on-_

_lookers,_at_least?_]andwhatisthemeaningandsenseofqualifyingthetermsbyit?[_Surely_the_

_meaning_is_to_tell_the_truth_about_their_relative_

_position_。1]If,inshort,itisexternaltotheterms,howcanitpossiblybetrue_of_them?[_Is_it_the_

_’intimacy’_suggested_by_the_little_word_’of,’_here,_

_which_I_have_understood,_that_is_the_root_of_Mr。_

_Bradley’s_trouble?]……Ifthetermsfromtheirinnernaturedonotenterintotherelation,then,sofarastheyareconcerned,theyseemrelatedfornoreasonatall……Thingsarespatiallyrelated,firstinoneway,andthenbecomerelatedinanotherway,andyetinnowaythemselvesarealtered;fortherelations,itissaid,arebutexternal。ButIreplythat,if————

1But\"isthereanysense,\"asksMr。Bradley,peevishly,onp。579,\"andifso,whatsenseintruththatisonlyoutsideand’about’

things?\"Surelysuchaquestionmaybeleftunanswered。

113

so,Icannot_understand_theleavingbythetermsofonesetofrelationsandtheiradoptionofanotherfreshset。Theprocessanditsresulttotheterms,iftheycontributenothingtoit[_Surely_they_contribute_to_it_all_there_is_

_’of’_it!_]seemirrationalthroughout。[_If_’irrational’_

_here_means_simply_’non-rational,’_or_non-_

_deducible_from_the_essence_of_either_term_singly,_it_

_is_no_reproach;_if_it_means_’contradicting’_such_

_essence,_Mr。_Bradley_should_show_wherein_and_

_how。_]But,iftheycontributeanything,they_mustsurelybeaffectedinternally。[_Why_so,_

_if_they_contribute_only_their_surface?__In_such_

_relations_as_’on,’_’a_foot_away,’_’between,’_’next,’_

_etc。,_only_surfaces_are_in_question。_]……Ifthetermscontributeanythingwhatever,thenthetermsareaffected[_inwardly_altered?_]bythearrangement……Thatforworkingpurposeswetreat,anddowelltotreat,somerelationsasexternalmerelyIdonotdeny,andthatofcourseisnotthequestionatissuehere。Thatquestionis……whetherintheendandinprincipleamereexternalrelation-_i。e。,_a_relation_

_which_can_change_without_forcing_its_terms_

114

_to_change_their_nature_simultaneously_]ispossibleandforcedonusbythefacts。\"(1)

Mr。Bradleynextrevertstotheantinomiesofspace,which,accordingtohim,proveittobeunreal,althoughitappearsassoprolificamediumofexternalrelations;andhethenconcludesthat\"Irrationalityandexternalitycannotbethelasttruthaboutthings。Somewheretheremustbeareasonwhythisandthatappeartogether。Andthisreasonandrealitymustresideinthewholefromwhichtermsandrelationsareabstractions,awholeinwhichtheirinternalconnectionmustlie,andoutofwhichfromthebackgroundappearthosefreshresultswhichnevercouldhavecomefromthepremises。\"Andheaddsthat\"Wherethewholeisdifferent,thetermsthatqualifyandcontributetoitmustsofarbedifferent……

Theyarealteredsofaronly[_How_far?_farther_

_than_externally,_yet_not_through_and_through?_]

butstilltheyarealtered……Imustinsistthatineachcasethetermsarequalifiedbytheirwhole[_Qualified_how?——Do_their_external_

115

_relations,_situations,_dates,_etc。,_changed_as_these_

_are_in_the_new_whole,_fail_to_qualify_them_’far’_

enough?_],andthatinthesecondcasethereisawholewhichdiffersbothlogicallyandpsychologicallyfromthefirstwhole;andIurgethatincontributingtothechangethetermssofararealtered。\"

Notmerelytherelations,then,butthetermsarealtered:_Und_zwar_’sofar。’Butjust_how_

faristhewholeproblem;and’through-and-

through’wouldseem(inspiteofMr。Bradley’ssomewhatundecidedutterances(1))tobethe——-

1Isay’undecided,’because,apartfromthe’sofar,’whatsoundsterriblyhalf-hearted,therearepassagesintheseverypagesinwhichMr。Bradleyadmitsthepluralisticthesis。Read,forexample,whathesays,onp。578,ofabilliardballkeepingits’character’unchanged,though,initschangeofplace,its’existence’getsaltered;orwhathesays,onp。579,ofthepossibilitythatanabstractqualityA,B,orC,inathing,’maythroughoutremainunchanged’althoughthethingbealtered;orhisadmissionthatred-hairedness,bothasanalyzedoutofamanandwhengivenwiththerestofhim,theremaybe’nochange’p。580)。Whydoesheimmediatelyaddthatforthepluralisttopleadthenon-mutationofsuchabstractionswouldbean_ignoratio_

_elenchi?_Itisimpossibletoadmitittobesuch。Theentire_elenchus_andinquestisjustastowhetherpartswhichyoucanabstractfromtheirinnernature。Iftheycanthusmouldvariouswholesintonew_gestalqualitaten_,thenitfollowsthatthesameelementsarelogicallyabletoexistindifferentwholes[whetherphysicallyablewoulddependonadditionalhypotheses];thatpartialchangesarethinkable,andthrough-and-throughchangenotadialecticnecessity;

thatmonismisonlyanhypothesis;andthatanadditivelyconstituteduniverseisarationallyrespectablehypothesisalso。Allthesesofradicalempiricism,inshort,follow。

116

fullBradleyananswer。The’whole’whichheheretreatsasprimaryanddeterminativeofeachpart’smannerof’contributing,’simply_must_,whenitalters,alterinitsentirety。There_must_betotalconfluxofitsparts,eachintoandthrougheachother。The’must’appearshereasa_Machtspruch_,asan_ipse_dixit_ofMr。

Bradley’sabsolutisticallytempered’understanding,’

forhecandidlyconfessesthathowtheparts_do_differastheycontributetodifferentwholes,isunknowntohim。(1)

AlthoughIhaveeverywishtocomprehendtheauthoritybywhichMr。Bradley’sunderstandingspeaks,hiswordsleavemewhollyunconverted。’Externalrelations’standwiththeirwithersallunwrung,andremain,foraughtheprovestothecontrary,notonlypracticallyworkable,butalsoperfectlyintelligiblefactorsofreality。

——-

1Op。cit。,pp。577-579。

117

VI

Mr。Bradley’sunderstandingshowsthemostextraordinarypowerofperceivingseparationsandthemostextraordinaryimpotenceincomprehendingconjunctions。Onewouldnaturallysay’neitherorboth,’butnotsoMr。

Bradley。Whenacommonmananalyzescertain_whats_fromoutthestreamofexperience,heunderstandstheirdistinctness_as_thus_isolated_。

Butthisdoesnotpreventhimfromequallywellunderstandingtheircombinationwitheachother_as_originally_experienced_in_the_concrete_,ortheirconfluencewithnewsensibleexperiencesinwhichtheyrecuras’thesame。’

Returningintothestreamofsensiblepresentation,nounsandadjectives,and_thats_andabstract_whats_,growconfluentagain,andtheword’is’namesalltheseexperiencesofconjunction。

Mr。Bradleyunderstandstheisolationoftheabstracts,buttounderstandthecombinationistohimimpossible。(1)\"Tounderstand——-

1SofarasIcatchhisstateofmind,itissomewhatlikethis:

’Book,’’table,’’on’——howdoestheexistenceofthesethreeabstractelementsresultin_this_bookbeinglivinglyon_this_table。Whyisn’tthetableonthebook?Orwhydoesn’tthe’on’connectitselfwithanotherbook,orsomethingthatisnotatable?Mustn’tsomething_in_

eachofthethreeelementsalreadydeterminethetwoothersto_it_,sothattheydonotsettleelsewhereorfloatvaguely?Mustn’tthe_whole_fact_be_prefigured_in_each_part_,andexist_de_jure_beforeitcanexist_de_fact?_But,ifso,inwhatcanthejuralexistenceconsist,ifnotinaspiritualminiatureofthewholefact’sconstitutionactuatingeverypartialfactorasitspurpose?Butisthisanythingbuttheoldmetaphysicalfallacyoflookingbehindafact_in_esse_forthegroundofthefact,andfindingitintheshapeoftheverysamefact_in_posse?_Somewherewemustleaveoffwitha_constitution_behindwhichthereisnothing。

118

acomplexAB,\"hesays,\"ImustbeginwithAorB。Andbeginning,saywithA,ifI

thenmerelyfindB,IhaveeitherlostA,orIhavegotbesideA,[_the_word_’beside’_seems_

_here_vital,_as_meaning_a_conjunction_’external’_

_and_therefore_unintelligible_]somethingelse,andinneithercasehaveIunderstood。(1)Formyintellectcannotsimplyuniteadiversity,norhasitinitselfanyformorwayoftogetherness,andyougainnothingif,besideAandB,youoffermetheirconjunctioninfact。Fortomyintellectthatisnomorethananotherexternalelement。And’facts,’onceforall,areformyintellectnottrueunlesstheysatisfyit……Theintellecthasinitsnaturenoprincipleofmeretogetherness。\"(2)

——-

1Applythistothecaseof’book-on-table’!W。J。

2Op。cit。,pp。570,572。

119

OfcourseMr。Bradleyhasarighttodefine’intellect’asthepowerbywhichweperceiveseparationsbutnotunions——providedhegiveduenoticetothereader。Butwhythenclaimthatsuchamaimedandamputatedpowermustreignsupremeinphilosophy,andaccuseonitsbehoofthewholeempiricalworldofirrationality?Itistruethatheelsewhereattributestotheintellecta_proprius_

_motus_oftransition,butsaysthatwhenhelooksfor_these_transitionsinthedetailoflivingexperience,he’isunabletoverifysuchasolution。’(1)

Yetheneverexplainswhattheintellectualtransitionswouldbelikeincasewehadthem。

Heonlydefinesthemnegatively——theyarenotspatial,temporal,predicative,orcausal;

orqualitativelyorotherwiseserial;orinanywayrelationalaswenaivelytracerelations,forrelations_separate_terms,andneedthemselvestobehookedon_ad_infinitum_。Thenearestapproachhemakestodescribingatrulyintellectualtransitioniswherehespeaksof——-

1Op。cit。,pp。568,569。

120

AandBasbeing’united,eachfromitsownnature,inawholewhichisthenatureofbothalike。’(1)Butthis(which,_pace_Mr。Bradley,seemsexquisitelyanalogousto’taking’acongeriesina’lump,’ifnotto’swamping’)suggestsnothingbutthat_conflux_whichpureexperiencesoabundantlyoffers,aswhen’space,’’white’and’sweet’areconfluentina’lumpofsugar,’orkinesthetic,dermal,andopticalsensationsconfluentin’myhand。’(2)

AllthatIcanverifyinthetransitionswhichMr。Bradley’sintellectdesideratesasits_proprius_

_motus_isareminiscenceoftheseandothersensibleconjunctions(especiallyspace-

conjunctions),butareminiscencesovaguethatitsoriginalsarenotrecognized。Bradleyinshortrepeatsthefableofthedog,thebone,anditsimageinthewater。Withaworldofparticulars,giveninloveliestunion,inconjunctiondefinitelyvarious,andvariouslydefinite,——-

1Op。cit。,p。570。

2Howmeaninglessisthecontentionthatinsuchwholes(orin’book-on-table,’’watch-in-pocket,’etc)therelationisanadditionalentity_between_theterms,needingitselftoberelatedagaintoeach!

BothBradley(op。cit。,pp。32-33)andRoyce(_The_World_and_the_

_Individual_,vol。I,p。128)lovinglyrepeatthispieceofprofundity。

121

the’how’ofwhichyou’understand’assoonasyouseethefactofthem,(1)forthereisno’how’excepttheconstitutionofthefactasgiven;withallthisgivenhim,Isay,inpureexperience,heasksforsomeineffableunionintheabstractinstead,which,ifhegainedit,wouldonlybeaduplicateofwhathehasalreadyinhisfullpossession。Surelyheabusestheprivilegewhichsocietygrantstoallusphilosophers,ofbeingpuzzle-headed。

Polemicwritinglikethisisodious;butwithabsolutisminpossessioninsomanyquarters,omissiontodefendmyradicalempiricismagainstitsbestknownchampionwouldcountaseithersuperficialityorinability。Ihavetoconcludethatitsdialectichasnotinvalidatedintheleastdegreetheusualconjunctionsbywhichtheworld,asexperienced,hangssovariouslytogether。Inparticularitleavesanempiricaltheoryofknowledge(2)intact,andletsuscontinuetobelievewithcommonsensethat122

oneobject_may_beknown,ifwehaveanygroundforthinkingthatit_is_known,tomanyknowers。

In[thenextessay]Ishallreturntothislastsupposition,whichseemstometoofferotherdifficultiesmuchharderforaphilosophyofpureexperiencetodealwiththananyofabsolutism’sdialecticobjections。

123

IV

HOWTWOMINDSCANKNOW

ONETHING(1)

IN[theessay]entitled’DoesConsciousnessExist?’Ihavetriedtoshowthatwhenwecallanexperience’conscious,’thatdoesnotmeanthatitissuffusedthroughoutwithapeculiarmodalityofbeing(’psychic’being)asstainedglassmaybesuffusedwithlight,butratherthatitstandsincertaindeterminaterelationstootherportionsofexperienceextraneoustoitself。Theseformonepeculiar’context’forit;while,takeninanothercontextofexperiences,weclassitasafactinthephysicalworld。This’pen,’forexample,is,inthefirstinstance,abald_that_,adatum,fact,phenomenon,content,orwhateverotherneutralorambiguousnameyoumayprefertoapply。I

calleditinthatarticlea’pureexperience。’Togetclassedeitherasaphysicalpenorassomeone’sperceptofapen,itmustassumea_function_,——-

1[Reprintedfrom_The_Journal_of_Philosophy,_Psychology_and_

_Scientific_Methods_,volII,No。7,March30,1905。]

124

andthatcanonlyhappeninamorecomplicatedworld。Sofarasinthatworlditisastablefeature,holdsink,markspaperandobeystheguidanceofahand,itisaphysicalpen。Thatiswhatwemeanbybeing’physical,’

inapen。Sofarasitisinstable,onthecontrary,comingandgoingwiththemovementsofmyeyes,alteringwithwhatIcallmyfancy,continuouswithsubsequentexperiencesofits’havingbeen’(inthepasttense),itistheperceptofapeninmymind。Thosepeculiaritiesarewhatwemeanbybeing’conscious,’

inapen。

InSectionVIofanother[essay](1)Itriedtoshowthatthesame_that_,thesamenumericallyidenticalpenofpureexperience,canentersimultaneouslyintomanyconsciouscontexts,or,inotherwords,beanobjectformanydifferentminds。IadmittedthatIhadnotspacetotreatofcertainpossibleobjectionsinthatarticle;butin[thelastessay]Itooksomeoftheobjectionsup。Attheendofthat[essay]

Isaidthatastillmoreformidable-sounding——-

1\"AWorldofPureExperience,\"above,pp。39-91。

125

objectionsremained;so,toleavemypure-

experiencetheoryinasstrongastateaspossible,Iproposetoconsiderthoseobjectionsnow。

I

TheobjectionsIpreviouslytriedtodisposeofwerepurelylogicalordialectical。nooneidenticalterm,whetherphysicalorpsychical,ithadbeensaid,couldbethesubjectoftworelationsatonce。ThisthesisIsoughttoproveunfounded。Theobjectionsthatnowconfrontusarisefromthenaturesupposedtoinhereinpsychicfactsspecifically。Whatevermaybethecasewithphysicalobjects,afactofconsciousness,itisalleged(andindeedveryplausibly),cannot,withoutself-contradiction,betreatedasaportionoftwodifferentminds,andforthefollowingreasons。

Inthephysicalworldwemakewithimpunitytheassumptionthatoneandthesamematerialobjectcanfigureinanindefinitelylargenumberofdifferentprocessesatonce。

When,forinstance,asheetofrubberispulledatitsfourcorners,aunitofrubberinthemiddleofthesheetisaffectedbyallfourofthe126

pulls。It_transmits_themeach,asifitpulledinfourdifferentwaysatonceitself。So,anair-

particleoranether-particle’compounds’thedifferentdirectionsofmovementimprintedonitwithoutobliteratingtheirseveralindividualities。

Itdeliversthemdistinct,onthecontrary,atasmanyseveral’receivers’(ear,eyeorwhatnot)asmaybe’tuned’tothateffect。Theapparentparadoxofadistinctnesslikethissurvivinginthemidstofcompoundingisathingwhich,Ifancy,theanalysesmadebyphysicistshavebythistimesufficientlyclearedup。

Butif,onthestrengthoftheseanalogies,oneshouldask:\"Why,iftwoormorelinescanrunthroughoneandthesamegeometricalpoint,oriftwoormoredistinctprocessesofactivitycanrunthroughoneandthesamephysicalthingsothatitsimultaneouslyplaysaroleineachandeveryprocess,mightnottwoormorestreamsofpersonalconsciousnessincludeoneandthesameunitofexperiencesothatitwouldsimultaneouslybeapartoftheexperienceofallthedifferentminds?\"onewouldbecheckedbythinkingofacertainpeculiarityby127

whichphenomenaofconsciousnessdifferfromphysicalthings。

Whilephysicalthings,namely,aresupposedtobepermanentandtohavetheir’states,’afactofconsciousnessexistsbutonceand_is_astate。Its_esse_is_sentiri_;itisonlysofarasitisfelt;anditisunambiguouslyandunequivocallyexactly_what_isfeltThehypothesisunderconsiderationwould,however,obligeittobefeltequivocally,feltnowaspartofmymindandagainatthesametime_not_asapartofmymind,butofyours(formymindis_not)yours),andthiswouldseemimpossiblewithoutdoublingitintotwodistinctthings,or,inotherwords,withoutrevertingtotheordinarydualisticphilosophyofinsulatedmindseachknowingitsobjectrepresentativelyasathirdthing,——andthatwouldbetogiveupthepure-

experienceschemealtogether。

Canwesee,then,anywayinwhichaunitofpureexperiencemightenterintoandfigureintwodiversestreamsofconsciousnesswithoutturningitselfintothetwounitswhich,onourhypothesis,itmustnotbe?

128

II

Thereisaway;andthefirststeptowardsitistoseemorepreciselyhowtheunitentersintoeitheroneofthestreamsofconsciousnessalone。Justwhat,frombeing’pure,’doesitsbecoming’conscious’_once_mean?

Itmeans,first,thatnewexperienceshavesupervened;and,second,thattheyhaveborneacertainassignablerelationtotheunitsupposed。Continue,ifyouplease,tospeakofthepureunitas’thepen。’Sofarasthepen’ssuccessorsdobutrepeatthepenor,beingdifferentfromit,are’energetically’(1)relatedtoit,andtheywillformagroupofstablyexistingphysicalthings。Sofar,however,asitssuccessorsdifferfromitinanotherwell-

determinedway,thepenwillfigureintheircontext,notasaphysical,butasamentalfact。

Itwillbecomeapassing’percept,’_my_perceptofthatpen。Whatnowisthatdecisivewell-

determinedway?

Inthechapteron’TheSelf,’inmy_Principles_

——-

1[Foranexplanationofthisexpression,seeabove,p。32。]

129

_of_Psychology_,Iexplainedthecontinuousidentityofeachpersonalconsciousnessasanameforthepracticalfactthatnewexperiences(1)

comewhichlookbackontheoldones,findthem’warm,’andgreetandappropriatethemas’mine。’Theseoperationsmean,whenanalyzedempirically,severaltolerablydefinitethings,viz。:

1。Thatthenewexperiencehaspasttimeforits’content,’andinthattimeapenthat’was’;

2。That’warmth’wasalsoaboutthepen,inthesenseofagroupoffeelings(’interest’

aroused,’attention’turned,’eyes’employed,etc。)thatwerecloselyconnectedwithitandthatnowrecurandevermorerecurwithunbrokenvividness,thoughfromthepenofnow,whichmaybeonlyanimage,allsuchvividnessmayhavegone;

3。Thatthesefeelingsarethenucleusof’me’;

4。Thatwhateveroncewasassociatedwiththemwas,atleastforthatonemoment,’mine’——myimplementifassociatedwith——-

1Icallthem’passingthoughts’inthebook——thepassageinpointgoesfrompages330to342ofvol。I。

130

hand-feelings,my’percept’only,ifonlyeye-

feelingsandattention-feelingswereinvolved。

Thepen,realizedinthisretrospectivewayasmypercept,thusfiguresasafactof’conscious’

life。Butitdoessoonlysofaras’appropriation’

hasoccurred;andappropriationis_part_of_the_content_of_a_later_experience_whollyadditionaltotheoriginally’pure’pen。_That_

pen,virtuallybothobjectiveandsubjective,isatitsownmomentactuallyandintrinsicallyneither。Ithastobelookedbackuponand_used_,inordertobeclassedineitherdistinctiveway。Butitsuse,socalled,isinthehandsoftheotherexperience,while_it_stands,throughouttheoperation,passiveandunchanged。

Ifthispassmusterasanintelligibleaccountofhowanexperienceoriginallypurecanenterintooneconsciousness,thenextquestionisastohowitmightconceivablyenterintotwo。

III

Obviouslynonewkindofconditionwouldhavetobesupplied。Allthatweshouldhavetopostulatewouldbeasecondsubsequent131

experience,collateralandcontemporarywiththefirstsubsequentone,inwhichasimilaractofappropriationshouldoccur。Thetwoactswouldinterfereneitherwithoneanothernorwiththeoriginallypurepen。Itwouldsleepundisturbedinitsownpast,nomatterhowmanysuchsuccessorswentthroughtheirseveralappropriativeacts。Eachwouldknowitas’my’percept,eachwouldclassitasa’conscious’

fact。

Norneedtheirsoclassingitinterfereintheleastwiththeirclassingitatthesametimeasaphysicalpen。Sincetheclassinginbothcasesdependsuponthetakingofitinonegrouporanotherofassociates,ifthesupersedingexperiencewereofwideenough’span’itcouldthinkthepeninbothgroupssimultaneously,andyetdistinguishthetwogroups。Itwouldthenseethewholesituationconformablytowhat,wecall’therepresentativetheoryofcognition,’

andthatiswhatweallspontaneouslydo。Asamanphilosophizing’popularly,’IbelievethatwhatIseemyselfwritingwithisdouble——I

thinkitinitsrelationstophysicalnature,and132

alsoinitsrelationstomypersonallife;Iseethatitisinmymind,butthatitalsoisaphysicalpen。

Theparadoxofthesameexperiencefiguringintwoconsciousnessesseemsthusnoparadoxatall。Tobe’conscious’meansnotsimplytobe,buttobereported,known,tohaveawarenessofone’sbeingaddedtothatbeing;andthisisjustwhathappenswhentheappropriativeexperiencesupervenes。Thepen-experienceinitsoriginalimmediacyisnotawareofitself,itsimply_is_,andthesecondexperienceisrequiredforwhatwecallawarenessofittooccur。(1)Thedifficultyofunderstandingwhathappenshereis,therefore,notalogicaldifficulty:

thereisnocontradictioninvolved。Itisanontologicaldifficultyrather。Experiencescomeonanenormousscale,andifwetake——-

1ShadworthHodgsonhaslaidgreatstressonthefactthattheminimumofconsciousnessdemandstwosubfeelingsofwhichthesecondretrospectsthefirst。(Cf。thesection’AnalysisofMinima’inhis_Philosophy_of_Reflection_,vol。I,p。248;alsothechapterentitled’TheMomentofExperience’inhis_Metaphysic_of_Experience_,vol。I,p。34。)’Weliveforward,butweunderstandbackward’isaphraseofKierkegaard’swhichHoffdingquotes。[H。Hoffding:\"A

PhilosophicalConfession,\"

_Journal_of_Philosophy,_Psychology_and_Scientific_Methods_,vol。II,1905,p。86。

133

themalltogether,theycomeinachaosofincommensurablerelationsthatwecannotstraightenout。Wehavetoabstractdifferentgroupsofthem,andhandletheseseparatelyifwearetotalkofthematall。Buthowtheexperiencesever_get_themselves_made_,or_why_

theircharactersandrelationsarejustsuchasappear,wecannotbegintounderstand……

Granting,however,that,byhookorcrook,they_can_getthemselvesmade,andcanappearinthesuccessionsthatIhavesoschematicallydescribed,thenwehavetoconfessthatevenalthough(asIbeganbyquotingfromtheadversary)

’afeelingonlyisasitisfelt,’thereisstillnothingabsurdinthenotionofitsbeingfeltintwodifferentwaysatonce,asyours,namely,andasmine。Itis,indeed,’mine’onlyasitisfeltasmine,and’yours’onlyasitisfeltasyours。Butitisfeltasneither_by_itself_,butonlywhen’owned’byourtwoseveralrememberingexperiences,justasoneundividedestateisownedbyseveralheirs。

134

IV

Oneword,now,beforeIclose,aboutthecorollariesoftheviewsetforth。Sincetheacquisitionofconsciousqualityonthepartofanexperiencedependsuponacontextcomingtoit,itfollowsthatthesumtotalofallexperiences,havingnocontext,cannotstrictlybecalledconsciousatall。Itisa_that_,anAbsolute,a’pure’experienceonanenormousscale,undifferentiatedandundifferentiableintothoughtandthing。Thisthepost-Kantianidealistshavealwayspracticallyacknowledgedbycallingtheirdoctrinean_Identitats-_

_philosophie_。Thequestionofthe_Beseelung_oftheAllofthingsoughtnot,then,eventobeasked。Nomoreoughtthequestionofits_truth_

tobeasked,fortruthisarelationinsideofthesumtotal,obtainingbetweenthoughtsandsomethingelse,andthoughts,aswehaveseen,canonlybecontextualthings。Intheserespectsthepureexperiencesofourphilosophyare,inthemselvesconsidered,somanylittleabsolutes,thephilosophyofpureexperience135

beingonlyamorecomminuted_Identitatsphilosphie_。(1)

Meanwhile,apureexperiencecanbepostulatedwithanyamountwhateverofspanorfield。Ifitexerttheretrospectiveandappropriativefunctiononanyotherpieceofexperience,thelattertherebyentersintoitsownconsciousstream。Andinthisoperationtimeintervalsmakenoessentialdifference。Aftersleeping,myretrospectionisasperfectasitisbetweentwosuccessivewakingmomentsofmytime。Accordinglyif,millionsofyearslater,asimilarlyretrospectiveexperienceshouldanyhowcometobirth,mypresentthoughtwouldformagenuineportionofitslong-spanconsciouslife。’Formaportion,’Isay,butnotinthesensethatthetwothingscouldbeentitativelyorsubstantivelyone——theycannot,fortheyarenumericallydiscretefacts——butonlyinthesensethatthe_functions_ofmypresentthought,itsknowledge,itspurpose,itscontentand’consciousness,’inshort,beinginherited,wouldbecontinuedpractically——-

1[Cf。below,pp。197,202。]

136

unchanged。SpeculationslikeFechner’s,ofanEarth-soul,ofwiderspansofconsciousnessenvelopingnarroweronesthroughoutthecosmos,are,therefore,philosophicallyquiteinorder,providedtheydistinguishthefunctionalfromtheentitativepointofview,anddonottreattheminorconsciousnessunderdiscussionasakindofstandingmaterialofwhichthewiderones_consist_。(1)

——-

1[Cf。_A_Pluralistic_Universe_,Lect。IV,’ConcerningFechner,’andLect。V,’TheCompoundingofConsciousness。’]

137

V

THEPLACEOFAFFECTIONAL

FACTSINAWORLDOFPURE

EXPERIENCE(1)

COMMONsenseandpopularphilosophyareasdualisticasitispossibletobe。Thoughts,weallnaturallythink,aremadeofonekindofsubstance,andthingsofanother。Consciousness,flowinginsideusintheformsofconceptionorjudgement,orconcentratingitselfintheshapeofpassionoremotion,canbedirectlyfeltasthespiritualactivitywhichitis,andknownincontrastwiththespace-filling,objective’content’whichitenvelopsandaccompanies。

Inoppositiontothisdualisticphilosophy,Itried,in[thefirstessay]toshowthatthoughtsandthingsareabsolutelyhomogeneousastotheirmaterial,andthattheiroppositionisonlyoneofrelationandoffunction。

Thereisnothought-stuffdifferentfromthing-stuff,Isaid;butthesameidenticalpiece——-

1[Reprintedfrom_The_Journal_of_Philosophy,_Psychology_and_

_Scientific_Methods_,volII,,No。11,May25,1905。]

138

of’pureexperience’(whichwasthenameI

gavetothe_materia_prima_ofeverything)canstandalternatelyfora’factofconsciousness’

orforaphysicalreality,accordingasitistakeninonecontextorinanother。Fortherightunderstandingofwhatfollows,Ishallhavetopresupposethatthereaderwillhavereadthat-essay]。(1)

Thecommonestobjectionwhichthedoctrinetherelaiddownrunsupagainstisdrawnfromtheexistenceofour’affections。’Inourpleasuresandpains,ourlovesandfearsandangers,inthebeauty,comicality,importanceorpreciousnessofcertainobjectsandsituations,wehave,Iamtoldbymanycritics,agreatrealmofexperienceintuitivelyrecognizedasspiritual,made,andfelttobemade,ofconsciousnessexclusively,anddifferentinnaturefromthespace-fillingkindofbeingwhichisenjoyedbyphysicalobjects。InSectionVII,of[thefirstessay],Itreatedofthisclassofexperiencesinadequately,——-

1Itwillbestillbetterifheshallhavealsoreadthe[essay]

entitled’AWorldofPureExperience,’whichfollows[thefirst]anddevelopsitsideasstillfarther。

139

becauseIhadtobebrief。Inowreturntothesubject,becauseIbelievethat,sofarfrominvalidatingmygeneralthesis,thesephenomena,whenproperlyanalyzed,afforditpowerfulsupport。

Thecentralpointofthepure-experiencetheoryisthat’outer’and’inner’arenamesfortwogroupsintowhichwesortexperiencesaccordingtothewayinwhichtheyactupontheirneighbors。Anyone’content,’suchas_hard_,letussay,canbeassignedtoeithergroup。Intheoutergroupitis’strong,’itacts’energetically’andaggressively。Herewhateverishardinterfereswiththespaceitsneighborsoccupy。Itdentsthem;isimpenetrablebythem;andwecallthehardnessthenaphysicalhardness。Inthemind,onthecontrary,thehardthingisnowhereinparticular,itdentsnothing,itsuffusesthroughitsmentalneighbors,asitwere,andinterpenetratesthem。Takeninthisgroupwecallbothitandthem’ideas’or’sensations’;andthebasisofthetwogroupsrespectivelyisthedifferenttypeofinterrelation,themutualimpenetrability,140

ontheonehand,andthelackofphysicalinterferenceandinteraction,ontheother。

Thatwhatinitselfisoneandthesameentityshouldbeabletofunctionthusdifferentlyindifferentcontextsisanaturalconsequenceoftheextremelycomplexreticulationsinwhichourexperiencescome。Toheroffspringatigressistender,butcrueltoeveryotherlivingthing——bothcruelandtender,therefore,atonce。Amassinmovementresistseveryforcethatoperatescontrariwisetoitsowndirection,buttoforcesthatpursuethesamedirection,orcomeinatrightangles,itisabsolutelyinert。Itisthusbothenergeticandinert;andthesameistrue(ifyouvarytheassociatesproperly)ofeveryotherpieceofexperience。Itisonlytowardscertainspecificgroupsofassociatesthatthephysicalenergiesaswecallthem,ofacontentareputforth。Inanothergroupitmaybequiteinert。

Itispossibletoimagineauniverseofexperiencesinwhichtheonlyalternativebetweenneighborswouldbeeitherphysicalinteractionorcompleteinertness。Insuchaworldthe141

mentalorthephysical_status)ofanypieceofexperiencewouldbeunequivocal。Whenactive,itwouldfigureinthephysical,andwheninactive,inthementalgroup。

Buttheuniverseweliveinismorechaoticthanthis,andthereisroominitforthehybridorambiguousgroupofouraffectionalexperiences,ofouremotionsandappreciativeperceptions。

IntheparagraphsthatfollowIshalltrytoshow:

(1)Thatthepopularnotionthattheseexperiencesareintuitivelygivenaspurelyinnerfactsishastyanderroneous;and(2)Thattheirambiguityillustratesbeautifullymycentralthesisthatsubjectivityandobjectivityareaffairsnotofwhatanexperienceisaboriginallymadeof,butofitsclassification。

Classificationsdependonourtemporarypurposes。Forcertainpurposesitisconvenienttotakethingsinonesetofrelations,forotherpurposesinanotherset。Inthetwocasestheircontextsareapttobedifferent。

Inthecaseofouraffectionalexperienceswehavenopermanentandsteadfastpurposethat142

obligesustobeconsistent,sowefinditeasytoletthemfloatambiguously,sometimesclassingthemwithourfeelings,sometimeswithmorephysicalrealities,accordingtocapriceortotheconvenienceofthemoment。Thuswouldtheseexperiences,sofarfrombeinganobstacletothepureexperiencephilosophy,serveasanexcellentcorroborationofitstruth。

Firstofall,then,itisamistaketosay,withtheobjectorswhomIbeganbyciting,thatanger,loveandfearareaffectionspurelyofthemind。That,toagreatextentatanyrate,theyaresimultaneouslyaffectionsofthebodyisprovedbythewholeliteratureoftheJames-

Langetheoryofemotion。(1)Allourpains,moreover,arelocal,andwearealwaysfreetospeakoftheminobjectiveaswellasinsubjectiveterms。Wecansaythatweareawareofapainfulplace,fillingacertainbignessinourorganism,orwecansaythatweareinwardlyina’state’ofpain。Allouradjectivesof——-

1[Cf。_The_Principles_of_Psychology_,vol。II,ch。XXV;and\"ThePhysicalBasisofEmotion,\"_The_Psychological_Review_,vol。I,1894,p。516。]

wortharesimilarlyambiguous——Iinstancedsomeoftheambiguities[inthefirstessay]。(1)

Isthepreciousnessofadiamondaqualityofthegem?orisitafeelinginourmind?Practicallywetreatitasbothoraseither,accordingtothetemporarydirectionofourthought。

’Beauty,’saysProfessorSantayana,’ispleasureobjectified’;andinSections10and11ofhiswork,_The_Sense_of_Beauty_,hetreatsinamasterlywayofthisequivocalrealm。Thevariouspleasureswereceivefromanobjectmaycountas’feelings’whenwetakethemsingly,butwhentheycombineinatotalrichness,wecalltheresultthe’beauty’oftheobject,andtreatitasanouterattributewhichourmindperceives。Wediscoverbeautyjustaswediscoverthephysicalpropertiesofthings。

Trainingisneededtomakeusexpertineitherline。Singlesensationsalsomaybeambiguous。

Shallwesayan’agreeabledegreeofheat,’oran’agreeablefeeling’occasionedbythedegreeofheat?Eitherwilldo;andlanguagewouldlosemostofitsestheticandrhetoricalvalue——-

1[Seeabove,pp。34,35。]

144

wereweforbiddentoprojectwordsprimarilyconnotingouraffectionsupontheobjectsbywhichtheaffectionsarearoused。Themanisreallyhateful;theactionreallymean;thesituationreallytragic——allinthemselvesandquiteapartfromouropinion。Weevengosofarastotalkofawearyroad,agiddyheight,ajocundmorningorasullensky;andtheterm’indefinite’whileusuallyappliedonlytoourapprehensions,functionsasafundamentalphysicalqualificationofthingsinSpencer’s’lawofevolution,’anddoubtlesspasseswithmostreadersforallright。

Psychologists,studyingourperceptionsofmovement,haveunearthedexperiencesinwhichmovementisfeltingeneralbutnotascribedcorrectlytothebodythatreallymoves。Thusinopticalvertigo,causedbyunconsciousmovementsofoureyes,bothweandtheexternaluniverseappeartobeinawhirl。Whencloudsfloatbythemoon,itisasifbothcloudsandmoonandweourselvessharedinthemotion。IntheextraordinarycaseofamnesiaoftheRev。Mr。Hanna,published145

bySidisandGoodhartintheirimportantworkon_Multiple_Personality_,wereadthatwhenthepatientfirstrecoveredconsciousnessand\"noticedanattendantwalkacrosstheroom,heidentifiedthemovementwiththatofhisown。Hedidnotyetdiscriminatebetweenhisownmovementsandthoseoutsidehimself。\"(1)

Suchexperiencespointtoaprimitivestageofperceptioninwhichdiscriminationsafterwardsneedfulhavenotyetbeenmade。

Apieceofexperienceofadeterminatesortisthere,butthereatfirstasa’pure’fact。

Motionoriginallysimply_is_;onlylaterisitconfinedtothisthingortothat。Somethinglikethisistrueofeveryexperience,howevercomplex,atthemomentofitsactualpresence。

Letthereaderarresthimselfintheactofreadingthisarticlenow。_Now_thisisapureexperience,aphenomenon,ordatum,amere_that_orcontentoffact。_’Reading’_simply_is,_is_there_;

andwhetherthereforsomeone’sconsciousness,orthereforphysicalnature,isaquestionnotyetput。Atthemoment,itistherefor——-

1Page102。

146

neither;laterweshallprobablyjudgeittohavebeenthereforboth。

Withtheaffectionalexperienceswhichweareconsidering,therelatively’pure’conditionlasts。Inpracticallifenourgentneedhasyetarisenfordecidingwhethertotreatthemasrigorouslymentalorasrigorouslyphysicalfacts。Sotheyremainequivocal;and,astheworldgoes,theirequivocalityisoneoftheirgreatconveniences。

Theshiftingplaceof’secondaryqualities’inthehistoryofphilosophy(1)isanotherexcellentproofofthefactthat’inner’and’outer’arenotcoefficientswithwhichexperiencescometousaboriginallystamped,butareratherresultsofalaterclassificationperformedbyusforparticularneeds。Thecommon-sensestageofthoughtisaperfectlydefinitepracticalhalting-

place,theplacewhereweourselvescanproceedtoactunhesitatingly。Onthisstageofthoughtthingsactoneachotheraswellasonusbymeansoftheirsecondaryqualities。

——-

1[Cf。JanetandSeailles:_History_of_the_Problems_of_Philosophy_,trans。byMonahan,partI,ch。III。]

Sound,assuch,goesthroughtheairandcanbeintercepted。Theheatofthefirepassesover,assuch,intothewaterwhichitsetsa-boiling。Itistheverylightofthearc-

lampwhichdisplacesthedarknessofthemidnightstreet,etc。Byengenderingandtranslocatingjustthesequalities,activelyefficaciousastheyseemtobe,weourselvessucceedinalteringnaturesoastosuitus;anduntilmorepurelyintellectual,asdistinguishedfrompractical,needshadarisen,nooneeverthoughtofcallingthesequalitiessubjective。When,however,Galileo,Descartes,andothersfounditbestforphilosophicpurposestoclasssound,heat,andlightalongwithpainandpleasureaspurelymentalphenomena,theycoulddosowithimpunity。(1)

Eventheprimaryqualitiesareundergoingthesamefate。Hardnessandsoftnessareeffectsonusofatomicinteractions,andtheatomsthemselvesareneitherhardnorsoft,norsolidnorliquid。Sizeandshapearedeemed——-

1[Cf。Descartes:_Meditation_II;_Principles_of_Philosophy_,partI,XLVIII。]

148

subjectivebyKantians;timeitselfissubjectiveaccordingtomanyphilosophers;(1)andeventheactivityandcausalefficacywhichlingeredinphysicslongaftersecondaryqualitieswerebanishedarenowtreatedasillusoryprojectionsoutwardsofphenomenaofourownconsciousness。Therearenoactivitiesoreffectsinnature,forthemostintellectualcontemporaryschoolofphysicalspeculation。

Natureexhibitsonly_changes_,whichhabituallycoincidewithoneanothersothattheirhabitsaredescribableinsimple’laws。’(2)

Thereisnooriginalspiritualityormaterialityofbeing,intuitivelydiscerned,then;butonlyatranslocationofexperiencesfromoneworldtoanother;agroupingofthemwithonesetoranotherofassociatesfordefinitelypracticalorintellectualends。

Iwillsaynothinghereofthepersistentambiguityof_relations_。Theyareundeniablepartsofpureexperience;yet,whilecommonsenseandwhatIcallradicalempiricismstand——-

1[Cf。A。E。Taylor:_Elements_of_Metaphysics_,bk。III,ch。IV。]

2[Cf。K。Pearson:_Grammar_of_Science_,ch。III。]

149

fortheirbeingobjective,bothrationalismandtheusualempiricismclaimthattheyareexclusivelythe’workofthemind’——thefinitemindortheabsolutemind,asthecasemaybe。

Turnnowtothoseaffectivephenomenawhichmoredirectlyconcernus。

Wesoonlearntoseparatethewaysinwhichthingsappealtoourinterestsandemotionsfromthewaysinwhichtheyactupononeanother。Itdoesnot_work_toassumethatphysicalobjectsaregoingtoactoutwardlybytheirsympatheticorantipatheticqualities。

Thebeautyofathingoritsvalueisnoforcethatcanbeplottedinapolygonofcompositions,nordoesits’use’or’significance’affectintheminutestdegreeitsvicissitudesordestinyatthehandsofphysicalnature。Chemical’affinities’areapurelyverbalmetaphor;and,asIjustsaid,evensuchthingsasforces,tensions,andactivitiescanatapinchberegardedasanthropomorphicprojections。Sofar,then,asthephysicalworldmeansthecollectionofcontentsthatdetermineineachothercertain150

regularchanges,thewholecollectionofourappreciativeattributeshastobetreatedasfallingoutsideofit。Ifwemeanbyphysicalnaturewhateverliesbeyondthesurfaceofourbodies,theseattributesareinertthroughoutthewholeextentofphysicalnature。

Whythendomenleavethemasambiguousastheydo,andnotclassthemdecisivelyaspurelyspiritual?

Thereasonwouldseemtobethat,althoughtheyareinertasregardstherestofphysicalnature,theyarenotinertasregardsthatpartofphysicalnaturewhichourownskincovers。

Itisthoseveryappreciativeattributesofthings,theirdangerousness,beauty,rarity,utility,etc。,thatprimarilyappealtoourattention。Inourcommercewithnaturetheseattributesarewhatgive_emphasis_toobjects;

andforanobjecttobeemphatic,whateverspiritualfactitmaymean,meansalsothatitproducesimmediatebodilyeffectsuponus,alterationsoftoneandtension,ofheart-beatandbreathing,ofvascularandvisceralaction。

The’interesting’aspectsofthinsarethus151

notwhollyinertphysically,thoughtheybeactiveonlyinthesesmallcornersofphysicalnaturewhichourbodiesoccupy。That,however,isenoughtosavethemfrombeingclassedasabsolutelynon-objective。