I
DOES’CONSCIOUSNESS’EXIST?
’THOUGHTS’and’things’arenamesfortwosortsofobject,whichcommonsensewillalwaysfindcontrastedandwillalwayspracticallyopposetoeachother。Philosophy,reflectingonthecontrast,hasvariedinthepastinherexplanationsofit,andmaybeexpectedtovaryinthefuture。Atfirst,’spiritandmatter,’’soulandbody,’stoodforapairofequipollentsubstancesquiteonaparinweightandinterest。ButonedayKantunderminedthesoulandbroughtinthetranscendentalego,andeversincethenthebipolarrelationhasbeenverymuchoffitsbalance。
Thetranscendentalegoseemsnowadaysinrationalistquarterstostandforeverything,inempiricistquartersforalmostnothing。InthehandsofsuchwritersasSchuppe,Rehmke,Natorp,Munsterberg——atanyrateinhis2
earlierwritings,Schubert-Soldernandothers,thespiritualprincipleattenuatesitselftoathoroughlyghostlycondition,beingonlyanameforthefactthatthe’content’ofexperience_is_known_。Itlosespersonalformandactivity——thesepassingovertothecontent——
andbecomesabare_Bewusstheit_or_Bewusstsein_
_uberhaupt_ofwhichinitsownrightabsolutelynothingcanbesaid。
Ibelievethat’consciousness,’whenonceithasevaporatedtothisestateofpurediaphaneity,isonthepointofdisappearingaltogether。
Itisthenameofanonentity,andhasnorighttoaplaceamongfirstprinciples。Thosewhostillclingtoitareclingingtoamereecho,thefaintrumorleftbehindbythedisappearing’soul’upontheairofphilosophy。Duringthepastyear,Ihavereadanumberofarticleswhoseauthorsseemedjustonthepointofabandoningthenotionofconsciousness,(1)andsubstitutingforitthatofanabsoluteexperiencenotduetotwofactors。Buttheywerenot——-
1ArticlesbyBawden,King,Alexander,andothers。Dr。Perryisfranklyovertheborder——-
3
quiteradicalenough,notquitedaringenoughintheirnegations。FortwentyyearspastI
havemistrusted’consciousness’asanentity;
forsevenoreightyearspastIhavesuggesteditsnon-existencetomystudents,andtriedtogivethemitspragmaticequivalentinrealitiesofexperience。Itseemstomethatthehourisripeforittobeopenlyanduniversallydiscarded。
Todenyplumplythat’consciousness’existsseemssoabsurdonthefaceofit——forundeniably’thoughts’doexist——thatIfearsomereaderswillfollowmenofarther。LetmethenimmediatelyexplainthatImeanonlytodenythatthewordstandsforanentity,buttoinsistmostemphaticallythatitdoesstandforafunction。Thereis,Imean,noaboriginalstufforqualityofbeing,contrastedwiththatofwhichmaterialobjectsaremade,outofwhichourthoughtsofthemaremade;butthereisafunctioninexperiencewhichthoughtsperform,andfortheperformanceofwhichthis4
qualityofbeingisinvoked。Thatfunctionis_knowing_。’Consciousness’issupposednecessarytoexplainthefactthatthingsnotonlyare,butgetreported,areknown。Whoeverblotsoutthenotionofconsciousnessfromhislistoffirstprinciplesmuststillprovideinsomewayforthatfunction’sbeingcarriedon。
I
Mythesisisthatifwestartwiththesuppositionthatthereisonlyoneprimalstufformaterialintheworld,astuffofwhicheverythingiscomposed,andifwecallthatstuff’pureexperience,’theknowingcaneasilybeexplainedasaparticularsortofrelationtowardsoneanotherintowhichportionsofpureexperiencemayenter。Therelationitselfisapartofpureexperience;oneifits’terms’
becomesthesubjectorbeareroftheknowledge,theknower,(1)theotherbecomestheobjectknown。Thiswillneedmuchexplanationbeforeitcanbeunderstood。Thebestwayto——-
1Inmy_Psychology_Ihavetriedtoshowthatweneednoknowerotherthanthe’passingthought。’[_PrinciplesofPsychology,vol。I,pp。338ff。]
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getitunderstoodistocontrastitwiththealternativeview;andforthatwemaytaketherecentestalternative,thatinwhichtheevaporationofthedefinitesoul-substancehasproceededasfarasitcangowithoutbeingyetcomplete。Ifneo-Kantismhasexpelledearlierformsofdualism,weshallhaveexpelledallformsifweareabletoexpelneo-kantisminitsturn。
ForthethinkersIcallneo-Kantian,thewordconsciousnessto-daydoesnomorethansignalizethefactthatexperienceisindefeasiblydualisticinstructure。Itmeansthatnotsubject,notobject,butobject-plus-subjectistheminimumthatcanactuallybe。Thesubject-objectdistinctionmeanwhileisentirelydifferentfromthatbetweenmindandmatter,fromthatbetweenbodyandsoul。Soulsweredetachable,hadseparatedestinies;thingscouldhappentothem。Toconsciousnessassuchnothingcanhappen,for,timelessitself,itisonlyawitnessofhappeningsintime,inwhichitplaysnopart。Itis,inaword,butthelogicalcorrelativeof’content’inanExperienceofwhichthe6
peculiarityisthat_fact_comes_to_light_init,that_awareness_of_content_takesplace。Consciousnessassuchisentirelyimpersonal——’self’anditsactivitiesbelongtothecontent。TosaythatI
amself-conscious,orconsciousofputtingforthvolition,meansonlythatcertaincontents,forwhich’self’and’effortofwill’arethenames,arenotwithoutwitnessastheyoccur。
Thus,forthesebelateddrinkersattheKantianspring,weshouldhavetoadmitconsciousnessasan’epistemological’necessity,evenifwehadnodirectevidenceofitsbeingthere。
Butinadditiontothis,wearesupposedbyalmosteveryonetohaveanimmediateconsciousnessofconsciousnessitself。Whentheworldofouterfactceasestobemateriallypresent,andwemerelyrecallitinmemory,orfancyit,theconsciousnessisbelievedtostandoutandtobefeltasakindofimpalpableinnerflowing,which,onceknowninthissortofexperience,mayequallybedetectedinpresentationsoftheouterworld。\"Themomentwetrytofixoutattentionuponconsciousnessandtosee_what_,distinctly,itis,\"saysarecentwriter,7
\"itseemstovanish。Itseemsasifwehadbeforeusamereemptiness。Whenwetrytointrospectthesensationofblue,allwecanseeistheblue;theotherelementisasifitwerediaphanous。
Yetit_can_bedistinguished,ifwelookattentivelyenough,andknowthatthereissomethingtolookfor。\"(1)\"Consciousness\"
(Bewusstheit),saysanotherphilosopher,\"isinexplicableandhardlydescribable,yetallconsciousexperienceshavethisincommonthatwhatwecalltheircontenthasapeculiarreferencetoacentreforwhich’self’isthename,invirtueofwhichreferencealonethecontentissubjectivelygiven,orappears……Whileinthiswayconsciousness,orreferencetoaself,istheonlythingwhichdistinguishesaconsciouscontentfromanysortofbeingthatmightbetherewithnooneconsciousofit,yetthisonlygroundofthedistinctiondefiesallcloserexplanations。Theexistenceofconsciousness,althoughitisthefundamentalfactofpsychology,canindeedbelaiddownascertain,canbebroughtoutbyanalysis,butcan——-
1G。E。Moore:_Mind_,vol。XII,N。S。,[1903],p。450。
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neitherbedefinednordeducedfromanythingbutitself。\"(1)
’Canbebroughtoutbyanalysis,’thisauthorsays。Thissupposesthattheconsciousnessisoneelement,moment,factor——callitwhatyoulike——ofanexperienceofessentiallydualisticinnerconstitution,fromwhich,ifyouabstractthecontent,theconsciousnesswillremainrevealedtoitsowneye。Experience,atthisrate,wouldbemuchlikeapaintofwhichtheworldpicturesweremade。Painthasadualconstitution,involving,asitdoes,amenstruum(2)
(oil,sizeorwhatnot)andamassofcontentintheformofpigmentsuspendedtherein。Wecangetthepuremenstruumbylettingthepigmentsettle,andthepurepigmentbypouringoffthesizeoroil。Weoperateherebyphysicalsubtraction;andtheusualviewis,thatbymentalsubtractionwecanseparatethetwofactorsofexperienceinan——-
1PaulNatorp:_Einleitung_in_die_Psychologie_,1888,pp。14,112。
2\"Figurativelyspeaking,consciousnessmaybesaidtobetheoneuniversalsolvent,ormenstruum,inwhichthedifferentconcretekindsofpsychicactsandfactsarecontained,whetherinconcealedorinobviousform。\"G。T。Ladd:_Psychology,_Descriptive_and_Explanatory_,1894,p。30。
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analogousway——notisolatingthementirely,butdistinguishingthemenoughtoknowthattheyaretwo。
II
Nowmycontentionisexactlythereverseofthis。_Experience,_I_believe,_has_no_such_inner_duplicity;_
_and_the_separation_of_it_into_consciousness_
_and_content_comes,_not_by_way_of_subtraction,_
_but_by_way_of_addition_——theaddition,toagivenconcretepieceofit,othersetsofexperiences,inconnectionwithwhichseverallyitsuseorfunctionmaybeoftwodifferentkinds。
Thepaintwillalsoservehereasanillustration。
Inapotinapaint-shop,alongwithotherpaints,itservesinitsentiretyassomuchsaleablematter。Spreadonacanvas,withotherpaintsaroundit,itrepresents,onthecontrary,afeatureinapictureandperformsaspiritualfunction。Justso,Imaintain,doesagivenundividedportionofexperience,takeninonecontextofassociates,playthepartofaknower,ofastateofmind,of’consciousness’;whileinadifferentcontextthesameundividedbitofexperienceplaysthepartofathingknown,of10
anobjective’content。’Inaword,inonegroupitfiguresasathought,inanothergroupasathing。And,sinceitcanfigureinbothgroupssimultaneouslywehaveeveryrighttospeakofitassubjectiveandobjective,bothatonce。
Thedualismconnotedbysuchdouble-barrelledtermsas’experience,’’phenomenon,’
’datum,’’_Vorfindung_’——termswhich,inphilosophyatanyrate,tendmoreandmoretoreplacethesingle-barrelledtermsof’thought’
and’thing’——thatdualism,Isay,isstillpreservedinthisaccount,butreinterpreted,sothat,insteadofbeingmysteriousandelusive,itbecomesverifiableandconcrete。Itisanaffairofrelations,itfallsoutside,notinside,thesingleexperienceconsidered,andcanalwaysbeparticularizedanddefined。
TheenteringwedgeforthismoreconcretewayofunderstandingthedualismwasfashionedbyLockewhenhemadetheword’idea’
standindifferentlyforthingandthought,andbyBerkeleywhenhesaidthatwhatcommonsensemeansbyrealitiesisexactlywhatthephilosophermeansbyideas。NeitherLocke11
norBerkeleythoughthistruthoutintoperfectclearness,butitseemstomethattheconceptionIamdefendingdoeslittlemorethanconsistentlycarryoutthe’pragmatic’methodwhichtheywerethefirsttouse。
Ifthereaderwilltakehisownexperiences,hewillseewhatImean。Lethimbeginwithaperceptualexperience,the’presentation,’socalled,ofaphysicalobject,hisactualfieldofvision,theroomhesitsin,withthebookheisreadingasitscentre;andlethimforthepresenttreatthiscomplexobjectinthecommon-
sensewayasbeing’really’whatitseemstobe,namely,acollectionofphysicalthingscutoutfromanenvironingworldofotherphysicalthingswithwhichthesephysicalthingshaveactualorpotentialrelations。Nowatthesametimeitisjust_those_self-same_things_whichhismind,aswesay,perceives;andthewholephilosophyofperceptionfromDemocritus’stimedownwardshasjustbeenonelongwrangleovertheparadoxthatwhatisevidentlyonerealityshouldbeintwoplacesatonce,bothinouterspaceandinaperson’smind。’Representative’
12
theoriesofperceptionavoidthelogicalparadox,butontheotherhandtheviolatethereader’ssenseoflife,whichknowsnointerveningmentalimagebutseemstoseetheroomandthebookimmediatelyjustastheyphysicallyexist。
Thepuzzleofhowtheoneidenticalroomcanbeintwoplacesisatbottomjustthepuzzleofhowoneidenticalpointcanbeontwolines。Itcan,ifitbesituatedattheirintersection;andsimilarly,ifthe’pureexperience’oftheroomwereaplaceofintersectionoftwoprocesses,whichconnecteditwithdifferentgroupsofassociatesrespectively,itcouldbecountedtwiceover,asbelongingtoeithergroup,andspokenoflooselyasexistingintwoplaces,althoughitwouldremainallthetimeanumericallysinglething。
Well,theexperienceisamemberofdiverseprocessesthatcanbefollowedawayfromitalongentirelydifferentlines。Theoneself-
identicalthinghassomanyrelationstotherestofexperiencethatyoucantakeitindisparatesystemsofassociation,andtreatitas13
belongingwithoppositecontexts。Inoneofthesecontextsitisyour’fieldofconsciousness’;
inanotheritis’theroominwhichyousit,’anditentersbothcontextsinitswholeness,givingnopretextforbeingsaidtoattachitselftoconsciousnessbyoneofitspartsoraspects,andtooutrealitybyanother。Whatarethetwoprocesses,now,intowhichtheroom-experiencesimultaneouslyentersinthisway?
Oneofthemisthereader’spersonalbiography,theotheristhehistoryofthehouseofwhichtheroomispart。Thepresentation,theexperience,the_that_inshort(foruntilwehavedecided_what_itisitmustbeamere_that_)isthelastterminatrainofsensations,emotions,decisions,movements,classifications,expectations,etc。,endinginthepresent,andthefirstterminaseriesof’inner’operationsextendingintothefuture,onthereader’spart。Ontheotherhand,theverysame_that_
isthe_terminus_ad_quem_ofalotofprevious14
physicaloperations,carpentering,papering,furnishing,warming,etc。,andthe_terminus_a_
_quo_ofalotoffutureones,inwhichitwillbeconcernedwhenundergoingthedestinyofaphysicalroom。Thephysicalandthementaloperationsformcuriouslyincompatiblegroups。
Asaroom,theexperiencehasoccupiedthatspotandhadthatenvironmentforthirtyyears。Asyourfieldofconsciousnessitmayneverhaveexisteduntilnow。Asaroom,attentionwillgoontodiscoverendlessnewdetailsinit。Asyourmentalstatemerely,fewnewoneswillemergeunderattention’seye。
ASaroom,itwilltakenanearthquake,oragangofmen,andinanycaseacertainamountoftime,todestroyit。Asyoursubjectivestate,theclosingofyoureyes,oranyinstantaneousplayofyourfancywillsuffice。INtherealworld,firewillconsumeit。INyourmind,youcanletfireplayoveritwithouteffect。Asanouterobject,youmustpaysomuchamonthtoinhabitit。Asaninnercontent,youmayoccupyitforanylengthoftimerent-free。
If,inshort,youfollowitinthementaldirection,15
takingitalongwitheventsofpersonalbiographysolely,allsortsofthingsaretrueofitwhicharefalse,andfalseofitwhicharetrueifyoutreatitasarealthingexperienced,followitinthephysicaldirection,andrelateittoassociatesintheouterworld。
III
Sofar,allseemsplainsailing,butmythesiswillprobablygrowlessplausibletothereaderwhenIpassformperceptstoconcepts,orfromthecaseofthingspresentedtothatofthingsremote。Ibelieve,nevertheless,thatherealsothesamelawholdsgood。Ifwetakeconceptualmanifolds,ormemories,orfancies,theyalsoareintheirfirstintentionmerebitsofpureexperience,and,assuch,aresingle_thats_
whichactinonecontextasobjects,andinanothercontextfigureasmentalstates。Bytakingthemintheirfirstintention,Imeanignoringtheirrelationtopossibleperceptualexperienceswithwhichtheymaybeconnected,whichtheymayleadtoandterminatein,andwhichthentheymaybesupposedto’represent。’
16
Takingtheminthiswayfirst,weconfinetheproblemtoaworldmerely’thought-
of’andnotdirectlyfeltorseen。Thisworld,justliketheworldofpercepts,comestousatfirstasachaosofexperiences,butlinesofordersoongettraced。Wefindthatanybitofitwhichwemaycutoutasanexampleisconnectedwithdistinctgroupsofassociates,justasourperceptualexperiencesare,thattheseassociateslinkthemselveswithitbydifferentrelations,(2)andthatoneformstheinnerhistoryofaperson,whiletheotheractsasanimpersonal’objective’world,eitherspatialandtemporal,orelsemerelylogicalormathematical,orotherwise’ideal。’
Thefirstobstacleonthepartofthereadertoseeingthatthesenon-perceptualexperiences——-
2Hereaselsewheretherelationsareofcourse_experienced_
relations,membersofthesameoriginallychaoticmanifoldofnon-
perceptualexperienceofwhichtherelatedtermsthemselvesareparts。
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haveobjectivityaswellassubjectivitywillprobablybeduetotheintrusionintohismindof_percepts_,thatthirdgroupofassociateswithwhichthenon-perceptualexperienceshaverelations,andwhich,asawhole,they’represent,’
standingtothemasthoughtstothings。Thisimportantfunctionofnon-perceptualexperiencescomplicatesthequestionandconfusesit;for,sousedarewetotreatperceptsasthesolegenuinerealitiesthat,unlesswekeepthemoutofthediscussion,wetendaltogethertooverlooktheobjectivitythatliesinnon-
perceptualexperiencesbythemselves。Wetreatthem,’knowing’perceptsastheydo,asthroughandthroughsubjective,andsaythattheyarewhollyconstitutedofthestuffcalledconsciousness,usingthistermnowforakindofentity,afterthefashionwhichIamseekingtorefute。(1)
Abstracting,then,fromperceptsaltogether,whatImaintainis,thatanysinglenon-perceptual——-
1Oftherepresentativefunctionsofnon-perceptualexperienceasawhole,Iwillsayawordinasubsequentarticle;itleadstoofarintothegeneraltheoryofknowledgeformuchtobesaidaboutitinashortpaperlikethis。
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experiencetendstogetcountedtwiceover,justasaperceptualexperiencedoes,figuringinonecontextasanobjectorfieldofobjects,inanotherasastateofmind:andallthiswithouttheleastinternalself-diremptiononitsownpartintoconsciousnessandcontent。Itisallconsciousnessinonetaking;and,intheother,allcontent。
Ifindthisobjectivityofnon-perceptualexperiences,thiscompleteparallelisminpointofrealitybetweenthepresentlyfeltandtheremotelythought,sowellsetforthinapageofMunsterberg’s_Grundzuge_,thatIwillquoteitasitstands。
\"Imayonlythinkofmyobjects,\"saysProfessorMunsterberg;\"yet,inmylivingthoughttheystandbeforemeexactlyasperceivedobjectswoulddo,nomatterhowdifferentthetwowaysofapprehendingthemmaybeintheirgenesis。Thebookherelyingonthetablebeforeme,andthebookinthenextroomofwhichI
thinkandwhichImeantoget,arebothinthesamesensegivenrealitiesforme,realitieswhichIacknowledgeandofwhichItakeaccount。
19
Ifyouagreethattheperceptualobjectisnotanideawithinme,butthatperceptandthing,asindistinguishablyone,arereallyexperienced_there_,_outside_,yououghtnottobelievethatthemerelythought-ofobjectishidawayinsideofthethinkingsubject。TheobjectofwhichIthink,andofwhoseexistenceItakecognizancewithoutlettingitnowworkuponmysenses,occupiesitsdefiniteplaceintheouterworldasmuchasdoestheobjectwhichI
directlysee。\"
\"Whatistrueofthehereandthethere,isalsotrueofthenowandthethen。Iknowofthethingwhichispresentandperceived,butI
knowalsoofthethingwhichyesterdaywasbutisnomore,andwhichIonlyremember。
Bothcandeterminemypresentconduct,botharepartsoftherealityofwhichIkeepaccount。
ItistruethatofmuchofthepastIamuncertain,justasIamuncertainofmuchofwhatispresentifitbebutdimlyperceived。Buttheintervaloftimedoesnotinprinciplealtermyrelationtotheobject,doesnottransformitfromanobjectknownintoamentalstate……
20
ThethingsintheroomherewhichIsurvey,andthoseinmydistanthomeofwhichIthink,thethingsofthisminuteandthoseofmylong-
vanishedboyhood,influenceanddecidemealike,witharealitywhichmyexperienceofthemdirectlyfeels。Theybothmakeupmyrealworld,theymakeitdirectly,theydonothavefirsttobeintroducedtomeandmediatedbyideaswhichnowandherearisewithinme……Thisnot-mecharacterofmyrecollectionsandexpectationsdoesnotimplythattheexternalobjectsofwhichIamawareinthoseexperiencesshouldnecessarilybetherealsoforothers。Theobjectsofdreamersandhallucinatedpersonsarewhollywithoutgeneralvalidity。Butevenweretheycentaursandgoldenmountains,theystillwouldbe’offthere,’infairyland,andnot’inside’ofourselves。\"(1)
Thiscertainlyistheimmediate,primary,naif,orpracticalwayoftakingourthought-ofworld。Weretherenoperceptualworldtoserveasits’reductive,’inTaine’ssense,by——-
1Munsterberg:_Grundzuge_der_Psychologie_,vol。I,p。48。
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being’stronger’andmoregenuinely’outer’
(sothatthewholemerelythought-ofworldseemsweakandinnerincomparison),ourworldofthoughtwouldbetheonlyworld,andwouldenjoycompleterealityinourbelief。
Thisactuallyhappensinourdreams,andinourday-dreamssolongasperceptsdonotinterruptthem。
Andyet,justastheseenroom(togobacktoourlateexample)is_also_afieldofconsciousness,sotheconceivedorrecollectedroomis_also_astateofmind;andthedoubling-upoftheexperiencehasinbothcasessimilargrounds。
Theroomthought-of,namely,hasmanythought-ofcouplingswithmanythought-ofthings。Someofthesecouplingsareinconstant,othersarestable。Inthereader’spersonalhistorytheroomoccupiesasingledate——hesawitonlyonceperhaps,ayearago。Ofthehouse’shistory,ontheotherhand,itformsapermanentingredient。Somecouplingshavethecuriousstubbornness,toborrowRoyce’sterm,offact;othersshowthefluidityoffancy——weletthemcomeandgoasweplease。Groupedwith22
therestofitshouse,withthenameofitstown,ofitsowner,builder,value,decorativeplan,theroommaintainsadefinitefoothold,towhich,ifwetrytoloosenit,ittendstoreturnandtoreassertitselfwithforce。(1)Withtheseassociates,inaword,itcoheres,whiletootherhouses,othertowns,otherowners,etc。,itshowsnotendencytocohereatall。Thetwocollections,firstofitscohesive,and,second,ofitslooseassociates,inevitablycometobecontrasted。
Wecallthefirstcollectionthesystemofexternalrealities,inthemidstofwhichtheroom,as’real,’exists;theotherwecallthestreamofinternalthinking,inwhich,asa’mentalimage,’itforamomentfloats。(2)Theroomthusagaingetscountedtwiceover。Itplaystwodifferentroles,being_Gedanke_and_Gedachtes_,thethought-of-an-object,andtheobject-thought-of,bothinone;andallthiswithoutparadoxormystery,justasthesame——-
1Cf。A。L。Hodder:_The_Adversaries_of_the_Sceptic_,pp。94-99。
2Forsimplicity’ssakeIconfinemyexpositionto’external’
reality。Butthereisalsothesystemofidealrealityinwhichtheroomplaysitspart。Relationsofcomparison,ofclassification,serialorder,value,alsoarestubborn,assignadefiniteplacetotheroom,unliketheincoherenceofitsplacesinthemererhapsodyofoursuccessivethoughts。
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materialthingmaybebothlowandhigh,orsmallandgreat,orbadandgood,becauseofitsrelationstooppositepartsofanenvironingworld。
As’subjective’wesaythattheexperiencerepresents;as’objective’itisrepresented。
Whatrepresentsandwhatisrepresentedisherenumericallythesame;butwemustrememberthatnodualismofbeingrepresentedandrepresentingresidesintheexperience_per_se_。Initspurestate,orwhenisolated,thereisnoself-
splittingofitintoconsciousnessandwhattheconsciousnessis’of。’Itssubjectivityandobjectivityarefunctionalattributessolely,,realizedonlywhentheexperienceis’take,’i。e。,talked-of,twice,consideredalongwithitstwodifferingcontextsrespectively,byanewretrospectiveexperience,ofwhichthatwholepastcomplicationnowformsthefreshcontent。
TheinstantfieldofthepresentisatalltimeswhatIcallthe’pure’experience。Itisonlyvirtuallyorpotentiallyeitherobjectorsubjectasyet。Forthetimebeing,itisplain,unqualifiedactuality,orexistence,asimple_that_。Inthis24
_naif_immediacyitisofcourse_valid_;itis_there_,we_act_uponit;andthedoublingofitinretrospectionintoastateofmindandarealityintendedthereby,isjustoneoftheacts。The’stateofmind,’firsttreatedexplicitlyassuchinretrospection,willstandcorrectedorconfirmed,andtheretrospectiveexperienceinitsturnwillgetasimilartreatment;buttheimmediateexperienceinitspassingisalways’truth,’(1)practicaltruth,_something_to_act_on_,atitsownmovement。Iftheworldwerethenandtheretogooutlikeacandle,itwouldremaintruthabsoluteandobjective,foritwouldbe’thelastword,’wouldhavenocritic,andnoonewouldeveropposethethoughtinittotherealityintended。(2)
IthinkImaynowclaimtohavemademy——-
1Notetheambiguityofthisterm,whichistakensometimesobjectivelyandsometimessubjectively。
2Inthe_Psychological_Review_forJuly[1904],Dr。R。B。PerryhaspublishedaviewofConsciousnesswhichcomesnearertominethananyotherwithwhichIamacquainted。Atpresent,Dr。Perrythinks,everyfieldofexperienceissomuch’fact。’Itbecomes’opinion’or’thought’onlyinretrospection,whenafreshexperience,thinkingthesameobject,altersandcorrectsit。Butthecorrectiveexperiencebecomesitselfinturncorrected,andthustheexperienceasawholeisaprocessinwhichwhatisobjectiveoriginallyforeverturnssubjective,turnsintoourapprehensionoftheobject。IstronglyrecommendDr。Perry’sadmirablearticletomyreaders。
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thesisclear。Consciousnessconnotesakindofexternalrelation,anddoesnotdenoteaspecialstufforwayofbeing。_The_peculiarity_of_our_experiences,_
_that_they_not_only_are,_but_are_known,_
_which_their_’conscious’_quality_is_invoked_to_
_explain,_is_better_explained_by_their_relations_——
_these_relations_themselves_being_experiences_——_to_
_one_another_。
IV
WereInowtogoontotreatoftheknowingofperceptualbyconceptualexperiences,itwouldagainprovetobeanaffairofexternalrelations。Oneexperiencewouldbetheknower,theothertherealityknown;andIcouldperfectlywelldefine,withoutthenotionof’consciousness,’whattheknowingactuallyandpracticallyamountsto——leading-towards,namely,andterminating-inpercepts,throughaseriesoftransitionalexperienceswhichtheworldsupplies。ButIwillnottreatofthis,spacebeinginsufficient。(1)Iwillratherconsider——-
1Ihavegivenapartialaccountofthematterin_Mind_,vol。X,p。
27,1885,andinthe_Psychological_Review_,vol。II,p。105,1895。SeealsoC。A。Strong’sarticleinthe_Journal_of_Philosophy,_Psychology_and_Scientific_Methods_,volI,p。
253,May12,1904。Ihopemyselfverysoontorecurtothematter。
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afewobjectionsthataresuretobeurgedagainsttheentiretheoryasitstands。
V
Firstofall,thiswillbeasked:\"Ifexperiencehasnot’conscious’existence,ifitbenotpartlymadeof’consciousness,’ofwhatthenisitmade?Matterweknow,andthoughtweknow,andconsciouscontentweknow,butneutralandsimple’pureexperience’issomethingweknownotatall。Say_what_itconsistsof——foritmustconsistofsomething——orbewillingtogiveitup!\"
Tothischallengethereplyiseasy。Althoughforfluency’ssakeImyselfspokeearlyinthisarticleofastuffofpureexperience,Ihavenowtosaythatthereisno_general_stuffofwhichexperienceatlargeismade。Thereareasmanystuffsasthereare’natures’inthethingsexperienced。
Ifyouaskwhatanyonebitofpureexperienceismadeof,theanswerisalwaysthe27
same:\"Itismadeof_that_,ofjustwhatappears,ofspace,ofintensity,offlatness,brownness,heaviness,orwhatnot。\"ShadworthHodgson’sanalysishereleavesnothingtobedesired。(1)
Experienceisonlyacollectivenameforallthesesensiblenatures,andsavefortimeandspace(and,ifyoulike,for’being’)thereappearsnouniversalelementofwhichallthingsaremade。
VI
Thenextobjectionismoreformidable,infactitsoundsquitecrushingwhenonehearsitfirst。
\"Ifitbetheself-samepieceofpureexperience,takentwiceover,thatservesnowasthoughtandnowasthing\"——sotheobjectionruns——\"howcomesitthatitsattributesshoulddiffersofundamentallyinthetwotakings。
Asthing,theexperienceisextended;asthought,itoccupiesnospaceorplace。Asthing,itisred,hard,heavy;butwhoeverheard28
ofared,hardorheavythought?Yetevennowyousaidthatanexperienceismadeofjustwhatappears,andwhatappearsisjustsuchadjectives。Howcantheoneexperienceinitsthing-functionbemadeofthem,consistofthem,carrythemasitsownattributes,whileinitsthought-functionitdisownsthemandattributesthemelsewhere。Thereisaself-contradictionherefromwhichtheradicaldualismofthoughtandthingistheonlytruththatcansaveus。Onlyifthethoughtisonekindofbeingcantheadjectivesexistinit’intentionally’
(tousethescholasticterm);onlyifthethingisanotherkind,cantheyexistinitconstituitivelyandenergetically。Nosimplesubjectcantakethesameadjectivesandatonetimebequalifiedbyit,andatanothertimebemerely’of’it,asofsomethingonlymeantorknown。\"
Thesolutioninsistedonbythisobjector,likemanyothercommon-sensesolutions,growsthelesssatisfactorythemoreoneturnsitinone’smind。Tobeginwith,_are_thoughtandthingasheterogeneousasiscommonlysaid?
29
Noonedeniesthattheyhavesomecategoriesincommon。Theirrelationstotimeareidentical。
Both,moreover,mayhaveparts(forpsychologistsngeneraltreatthoughtsashavingthem);andbothmaybecomplexorsimple。
Bothareofkinds,canbecompared,addedandsubtractedandarrangedinserialorders。Allsortsofadjectivesqualifyourthoughtswhichappearincompatiblewithconsciousness,beingassuchabarediaphaneity。Forinstance,theyarenaturalandeasy,orlaborious。Theyarebeautiful,happy,intense,interesting,wise,idiotic,focal,marginal,insipid,confused,vague,precise,rational,causal,general,particular,andmanythingsbesides。Moreover,thechapterson’Perception’inthepsychology-
booksarefulloffactsthatmakefortheessentialhomogeneityofthoughtwiththing。
How,if’subject’and’object’wereseparated’bythewholediameterofbeing,’andhadnoattributesandcommon,coulditbesohardtotell,inapresentedandrecognizedmaterialobject,whatpartcomesinthoughtthesense-
organsandwhatpartcomes’outofone’sown30
head’?Sensationsandapperceptiveideasfuseheresointimatelythatyoucannomoretellwhereonebeginsandtheotherends,thanyoucantell,inthosecunningcircularpanoramasthathavelatelybeenexhibited,wheretherealforegroundandthepaintedcanvasjointogether。(1)
Descartesforthefirsttimedefinedthoughtastheabsolutelyunextended,andlaterphilosophershaveacceptedthedescriptionascorrect。
Butwhatpossiblemeaninghasittosaythat,whenwethinkofafoot-ruleorasquareyard,extensionisnotattributabletoourthought?Ofeveryextendedobjectthe_adequate_
mentalpicturemusthavealltheextensionoftheobjectitself。Thedifferencebetweenobjectiveandsubjectiveextensionisoneofrelationtoacontextsolely。Inthemindthevariousextentsmaintainnonecessarilystubbornorderrelativelytoeachother,while——-
1Spencer’sproofofhis’TransfiguredRealism’(hisdoctrinethatthereisanabsolutelynon-mentalreality)comestomindasasplendidinstanceoftheimpossibilityofestablishingradicalheterogeneitybetweenthoughtandthing。Allhispainfullyaccumulatedpointsofdifferencerungraduallyintotheiropposites,andarefullofexceptions。
——-
31
inthephysicalworldtheyboundeachotherstably,and,addedtogether,makethegreatenvelopingUnitwhichwebelieveinandcallrealSpace。As’outer,’theycarrythemselvesadversely,sotospeak,tooneanother,excludeoneanotherandmaintaintheirdistances;
while,as’inner,’theirorderisloose,andtheyforma_durcheinander_inwhichunityislost。(1)
Buttoarguefromthisthatinnerexperienceisabsolutelyinextensiveseemstomelittleshortofabsurd。Thetwoworldsdiffer,notbythepresenceorabsenceofextension,butbytherelationsoftheextensionswhichinbothworldsexist。
Doesnotthiscaseofextensionnowputusonthetrackoftruthinthecaseofotherqualities?
Itdoes;andIamsurprisedthatthefactsshouldnothavebeennoticedlongago。Why,forexample,dowecallafirehot,andwaterwet,andyetrefusetosaythatourmentalstate,whenitis’of’theseobjects,iseitherwetorhot?’Intentionally,’atanyrate,andwhen32
thementalstateisavividimage,hotnessandwetnessareinitjustasmuchastheyareinthephysicalexperience。Thereasonisthis,that,asthegeneralchaosofallourexperiencesgetssifted,wefindthattherearesomefiresthatwillalwaysburnsticksandalwayswarmourbodies,andthattherearesomewatersthatwillalwaysputoutfires;whilethereareotherfiresandwatersthatwillnotactatall。Thegeneralgroupofexperiencesthat_act_,thatdonotonlypossesstheirnaturesintrinsically,butwearthemadjectivelyandenergetically,turningthemagainstoneanother,comesinevitablytobecontrastedwiththegroupwhosemembers,havingidenticallythesamenatures,failtomanifesttheminthe’energetic’way。(1)I
makeformyselfnowanexperienceofblazingfire;Iplaceitnearmybody;butitdoesnotwarmmeintheleast。Ilayastickuponit,andthestickeitherburnsorremainsgreen,asI
please。Icallupwater,andpouritonthefire,andabsolutelynodifferenceensues。Iaccount33
forallsuchfactsbycallingthiswholetrainofexperiencesunreal,amentaltrain。Mentalfireiswhatwon’tburnrealsticks;mentalwateriswhatwon’tnecessarily(thoughofcourseitmay)putoutevenamentalfire。Mentalknivesmaybesharp,buttheywon’tcutrealwood。Mentaltrianglesarepointed,buttheirpointswon’twound。With’real’objects,onthecontrary,consequencesalwaysaccrue;andthustherealexperiencesgetsiftedfromthementalones,thethingsfromoutthoughtsofthem,fancifulortrue,andprecipitatedtogetherasthestablepartofthewholeexperience-
chaos,underthenameofthephysicalworld。Ofthisourperceptualexperiencesarethenucleus,theybeingtheoriginally_strong_
experiences。Weaddalotofconceptualexperiencestothem,makingthesestrongalsoinimagination,andbuildingouttheremoterpartsofthephysicalworldbytheirmeans;
andaroundthiscoreofrealitytheworldoflaxlyconnectedfanciesandmererhapsodicalobjectsfloatslikeabankofclouds。
Intheclouds,allsortsofrulesareviolated34
whichinthecorearekept。Extensionstherecanbeindefinitelylocated;motionthereobeysnoNewton’slaws。
VII
Thereisapeculiarclassofexperiencetowhich,whetherwetakethemassubjectiveorasobjective,we_assigntheirseveralnaturesasattributes,becauseinbothcontextstheyaffecttheirassociatesactively,thoughinneitherquiteas’strongly’orassharplyasthingsaffectoneanotherbytheirphysicalenergies。I
referhereto_appreciations_,whichformanambiguoussphereofbeing,belongingwithemotionontheonehand,andhavingobjective’value’
ontheother,yetseemingnotquiteinnernorquiteouter,asifadiremptionhadbegunbuthadnotmadeitselfcomplete。
Experiencesofpainfulobjects,forexample,areusuallyalsopainfulexperiences;perceptionsofloveliness,ofugliness,tendtopassmusteraslovelyorasuglyperceptions;intuitionsofthemorallyloftyareloftyintuitions。
35
Sometimestheadjectivewandersasifuncertainwheretofixitself。Shallwespeakofseductivevisionsorofvisionsofseductivethings?Ofhealthythoughtsorofthoughtsofhealthyobjects?Ofgoodimpulses,orofimpulsestowardsthegood?Offeelingsofanger,orofangryfeelings?Bothinthemindandinthething,thesenaturesmodifytheircontext,excludecertainassociatesanddetermineothers,havetheirmatesandincompatibles。
Yetnotasstubbornlyasinthecaseofphysicalqualities,forbeautyandugliness,loveandhatred,pleasantandpainfulcan,incertaincomplexexperiences,coexist。
Ifoneweretomakeanevolutionaryconstructionofhowalotoforiginallychaoticpureexperiencebecamegraduallydifferentiatedintoanorderlyinnerandouterworld,thewholetheorywouldturnuponone’ssuccessinexplaininghoworwhythequalityofanexperience,onceactive,couldbecomelessso,and,frombeinganenergeticattributeinsomecases,elsewherelapseintothestatusofan36
inertormerelyinternal’nature。’Thiswouldbethe’evolution’ofthepsychicalfromthebosomofthephysical,inwhichtheesthetic,moralandotherwiseemotionalexperienceswouldrepresentahalfwaystage。
VIII
Butalastcryof_non_possumus_willprobablygoupfrommanyreaders。\"Allveryprettyasapieceofingenuity,\"theywillsay,\"butourconsciousnessitselfintuitivelycontradictsyou。
We,forourpart,_know_thatweareconscious。
We_feel_ourthought,flowingasalifewithinus,inabsolutecontrastwiththeobjectswhichitsounremittinglyescorts。Wecannotbefaithlesstothisimmediateintuition。Thedualismisafundamental_datum_:LetnomanjoinwhatGodhasputasunder。\"
Myreplytothisismylastword,andI
greatlygrievethattomanyitwillsoundmaterialistic。
Icannothelpthat,however,forI,too,havemyintuitionsandImustobeythem。Letthecasebewhatitmayinothers,I
amasconfidentasIamofanythingthat,in37
myself,thestreamofthinking(whichIrecognizeemphaticallyasaphenomenon)isonlyacarelessnameforwhat,whenscrutinized,revealsitselftoconsistchieflyofthestreamofmybreathing。The’Ithink’whichKantsaidmustbeabletoaccompanyallmyobjects,isthe’Ibreath’whichactuallydoesaccompanythem。Thereareotherinternalfactsbesidesbreathing(intracephalicmuscularadjustments,etc。,ofwhichIhavesaidawordinmylargerPsychology),andtheseincreasetheassetsof’consciousness,’sofarasthelatterissubjecttoimmediateperception;butbreath,whichwasevertheoriginalof’spirit,’breathmovingoutwards,betweentheglottisandthenostrils,is,Iampersuaded,theessenceoutofwhichphilosophershaveconstructedtheentityknowntothemasconsciousness。_That_
_entity_is_fictitious,_while_thoughts_in_the_concrete_
_are_fully_real。__But_thoughts_in_the_concrete_are_
_made_of_the_same_stuff_as_things_are。
IwishImightbelievemyselftohavemade38
thatplausibleinthisarticle。INanotherarticleIshalltrytomakethegeneralnotionofaworldcomposedofpureexperiencesstillmoreclear。
39
II
AWORLDOFPUREEXPERIENCE
ITisdifficultnottonoticeacuriousunrestinthephilosophicatmosphereofthetime,alwayslooseningofoldlandmarks,asofteningofoppositions,amutualborrowingfromoneanotherreflectingonthepartofsystemsancientlyclosed,andaninterestinnewsuggestions,howevervague,asiftheonethingsureweretheinadequacyoftheextantschool-solutions。Thedissatisfactionwiththeseseemsdueforthemostparttoafeelingthattheyaretooabstractandacademic。Lifeisconfusedandsuperabundant,andwhattheyoungergenerationappearstocraveismoreofthetemperamentoflifeinitsphilosophy,eventhoughtitwereatsomecostoflogicalrigorandofformalpurity。Transcendental40
idealismisincliningtolettheworldwagincomprehensibly,inspiteofitsAbsoluteSubjectandhisunityofpurpose。Berkeleyanidealismisabandoningtheprincipleofparsimonyanddabblinginpanpsychicspeculations。
Empiricismflirtswithteleology;and,strangestofall,naturalrealism,solongdecentlyburied,raisesitsheadabovetheturf,andfindsgladhandsoutstretchedfromthemostunlikelyquarterstohelpittoitsfeetagain。Weareallbiasedbyourpersonalfeelings,Iknow,andIampersonallydiscontentedwithextantsolutions;soIseemtoreadthesignsofagreatunsettlement,asiftheupheavalofmorerealconceptionsandmorefruitfulmethodswereimminent,asifatruelandscapemightresult,lessclipped,straight-edgedandartificial。
Ifphilosophybereallyontheeveofanyconsiderablerearrangement,thetimeshouldbepropitiousforanyonewhohassuggestionsofhisowntobringforward。Formanyyearspastmymindhasbeegrowingintoacertaintypeof_Weltanschauung_。Rightlyorwrongly,Ihave41
gottothepointwhereIcanhardlyseethingsinanyotherpattern。Ipropose,therefore,todescribethepatternasclearlyasIcanconsistentlywithgreatbrevity,andtothrowmydescriptionintothebubblingvatofpublicitywhere,jostledbyrivalsandtornbycritics,itwilleventuallyeitherdisappearfromnotice,orelse,ifbetterluckbefallit,quietlysubsidetotheprofundities,andserveasapossiblefermentofnewgrowthsoranucleusofnewcrystallization。
I。RADICALEMPIRICISM
Igivethenameof’radicalempiricism’tomy_Weltanschauung_。Empiricismisknownastheoppositeofrationalism。Rationalismtendstoemphasizeuniversalsandtomakewholespriortopartsintheorderoflogicaswellasinthatofbeing。Empiricism,onthecontrary,laystheexplanatorystressuponthepart,theelement,theindividual,andtreatsthewholeasacollectionandtheuniversalasanabstraction。
Mydescriptionofthings,accordingly,startswiththepartsandmakesofthewhole42
abeingofthesecondorder。Itisessentiallyamosaicphilosophy,aphilosophyofpluralfacts,likethatofHumeandhisdescendants,whoreferthesefactsneithertoSubstancesinwhichtheyinherenortoanAbsoluteMindthatcreatesthemasitsobjects。ButitdiffersfromtheHumiantypeofempiricisminoneparticularwhichmakesmeaddtheepithetradical。
Toberadical,anempiricismmustneitheradmitintoitsconstructionsanyelementthatisnotdirectlyexperienced,norexcludefromthemanyelementthatisdirectlyexperienced。
Forsuchaphilosophy,_the_relations_that_connect_
_experiences_must_themselves_be_experienced_relations,_
_and_any_kind_of_relation_experienced_must_
_be_accounted_as_’real’_as_anything_else_in_the_
_system。Elementsmayindeedberedistributed,theoriginalplacingofthingsgettingcorrected,butarealplacemustbefoundforeverykindofthingexperienced,whethertermorrelation,inthefinalphilosophicarrangement。
Now,ordinaryempiricism,inspiteofthefactthatconjunctiveanddisjunctiverelations43
presentthemselvesasbeingfullyco-ordinatepartsofexperience,hasalwaysshownatendencytodoawaywiththeconnectionsofthings,andtoinsistmostonthedisjunctions。
Berkeley’snominalism,Hume’sstatementthatwhateverthingswedistinguishareas’looseandseparate’asiftheyhad’nomannerofconnection。’
JamesMill’sdenialthatsimilarshaveanything’really’incommon,theresolutionofthecausaltieintohabitualsequence,JohnMill’saccountofbothphysicalthingsandselvesascomposedofdiscontinuouspossibilities,andthegeneralpulverizationofallExperiencebyassociationandthemind-dusttheory,areexamplesofwhatImean。
Thenaturalresultofsuchaworld-picturehasbeentheeffortsofrationalismtocorrectitsincoherenciesbytheadditionoftrans-
experientialagentsofunification,substances,intellectualcategoriesandpowers,orSelves;
44
whereas,ifempiricismhadonlybeenradicalandtakeneverythingthatcomeswithoutdisfavor,conjunctionaswellasseparation,eachatitsfacevalue,theresultswouldhavecalledfornosuchartificialcorrection。_Radical_empiricism,_
asIunderstandit,_does_full_justice_to_
_conjunctive_relations_,without,however,treatingthemasrationalismalwaystendstotreatthem,asbeingtrueinsomesupernalway,asiftheunityofthingsandtheirvarietybelongedtodifferentordersoftruthandvitalityaltogether。
II。CONJUNCTIVERELATIONS
Relationsareofdifferentdegreesofintimacy。
Merelytobe’with’oneanotherinauniverseofdiscourseisthemostexternalrelationthattermscanhave,andseemstoinvolvenothingwhateverastofartherconsequences。
Simultaneityandtime-intervalcomenext,andthenspace-adjacencyanddistance。Afterthem,similarityanddifference,carryingthepossibilityofmanyinferences。Thenrelationsofactivity,tyingtermsintoseriesinvolving45
change,tendency,resistance,andthecausalordergenerally。Finally,therelationexperiencedbetweentermsthatformstatesofmind,andareimmediatelyconsciousofcontinuingeachother。TheorganizationoftheSelfasasystemofmemories,purposes,strivings,fulfilmentsordisappointments,isincidentaltothismostintimateofallrelations,thetermsofwhichseeminmanycasesactuallytocompenetrateandsuffuseeachother’sbeing。
Philosophyhasalwaysturnedongrammaticalparticles。With,near,next,like,from,towards,against,because,for,through,my——
thesewordsdesignatetypesofconjunctiverelationarrangedinaroughlyascendingorderofintimacyandinclusiveness。_A_priori,wecanimagineauniverseofwithnessbutnonextness;
oroneofnextnessbutnolikeness,oroflikenesswithnoactivity,orofactivitywithnopurpose,orofpurposewithnoego。Thesewouldbeuniverses,eachwithitsowngradeofunity。
Theuniverseofhumanexperienceis,byoneoranotherofitsparts,ofeachandallthesegrades。
46
Whetherornotitpossiblyenjoyssomestillmoreabsolutegradeofuniondoesnotappearuponthesurface。
Takenasitdoesappear,ouruniverseistoalargeextentchaotic。Noonesingletypeofconnectionrunsthroughalltheexperiencesthatcomposeit。Ifwetakespace-relations,theyfailtoconnectmindsintoanyregularsystem。
Causesandpurposesobtainonlyamongspecialseriesoffacts。Theself-relationseemsextremelylimitedanddoesnotlinktwodifferentselvestogether。_Prima_facie,ifyoushouldlikentheuniverseofabsoluteidealismtoanaquarium,acrystalglobeinwhichgoldfishareswimming,youwouldhavetocomparetheempiricistuniversetosomethingmorelikeoneofthosedriedhumanheadswithwhichtheDyaksofBorneodecktheirlodges。Theskullformsasolidnucleus;butinnumerablefeathers,leaves,strings,beads,andlooseappendicesofeverydescriptionfloatanddanglefromit,and,savethattheyterminateinit,seemtohavenothingtodowithoneanother。Evensomyexperiencesandyoursfloatanddangle,47
terminating,itistrue,inanucleusofcommonperception,butforthemostpartoutofsightandirrelevantandunimaginabletooneanother。
Thisimperfectintimacy,thisbarerelationof_withness)betweensomepartsofthesumtotalofexperienceandotherparts,isthefactthatordinaryempiricismover-emphasizesagainstrationalism,thelatteralwaystendingtoignoreitunduly。Radicalempiricism,onthecontrary,isfairtoboththeunityandthedisconnection。Itfindsnoreasonfortreatingeitherasillusory。Itallotstoeachitsdefinitesphereofdescription,andagreesthatthereappeartobeactualforcesatworkwhichtend,astimegoeson,tomaketheunitygreater。
Theconjunctiverelationthathasgivenmosttroubletophilosophyis_the_co-conscious_
_transition_,sotocallit,bywhichoneexperiencepassesintoanotherwhenbothbelongtothesameself。Myexperiencesandyourexperiencesare’with’eachotherinvariousexternalways,butminepassintomine,andyourspassintoyoursinawayinwhichyoursandmineneverpass48
intooneanother。Withineachofourpersonalhistories,subject,object,interestandpurpose_are_continuous_or_may_be_continuous_。(1)Personalhistoriesareprocessesofchangeintime,and_the_change_itself_is_one_of_the_things_immediately_
_experienced。_’Change’inthiscasemeanscontinuousasopposedtodiscontinuoustransition。
Butcontinuoustransitionisonesortofaconjunctiverelation;andtobearadicalempiricistmeanstoholdfasttothisconjunctiverelationofallothers,forthisisthestrategicpoint,thepositionthroughwhich,ifaholebemade,allthecorruptionsofdialecticsandallthemetaphysicalfictionspourintoourphilosophy。
Theholdingfasttothisrelationmeanstakingitatitsfacevalue,neitherlessnormore;
andtotakeitatitsfacevaluemeansfirstofalltotakeitjustaswefeelit,andnottoconfuseourselveswithabstracttalk_about_it,involvingwordsthatdriveustoinventsecondaryconceptionsinordertoneutralizetheir——-
1Thepsychologybookshaveoflatedescribedthefactsherewithapproximateadequacy。Imayrefertothechapterson’TheStreamofThought’andontheSelfinmyown_Principles_of_Psychology_,aswellastoS。H。Hodgson’s_Metaphysics_of_Experience_,volI。,ch。VIIandVIII。
——-
49
suggestionsandtomakeouractualexperienceagainseemrationallypossible。
whatIdofeelsimplywhenalatermomentofmyexperiencesucceedsanearlieroneisthatthoughtheyaretwomoments,thetransitionfromtheonetotheotheris_continuous_。Continuityhereisadefinitesortofexperience;justasdefiniteasisthe_discontinuity-experience_
whichIfinditimpossibletoavoidwhenIseektomakethetransitionfromanexperienceofmyowntooneofyours。InthislattercaseI
havetogetonandoffagain,topassfromathinglivedtoanotherthingonlyconceived,andthebreakispositivelyexperiencedandnoted。Thoughthefunctionsexertedbymyexperienceandbyyoursmaybethesame(。e。g。,thesameobjectsknownandthesamepurposesfollowed),yetthesamenesshasinthiscasetobeascertainedexpressly(andoftenwithdifficultyanduncertainly)afterthebreakhasbeenfelt;whereasinpassingfromoneofmyownmomentstoanotherthesamenessofobjectandinterestisunbroken,andboththeearlierandthelaterexperienceareofthingsdirectlylived。
50
Thereisnoother_nature_,nootherwhatnessthanthisabsenceofbreakandthissenseofcontinuityinthatmostintimateofallconjunctiverelations,thepassingofoneexperienceintoanotherwhenthebelongtothesameself。
Andthiswhatnessisrealempirical’content,’
justasthewhatnessofseparationanddiscontinuityisrealcontentinthecontrastedcase。
Practicallytoexperienceone’spersonalcontinuuminthislivingwayistoknowtheoriginalsoftheideasofcontinuityandsameness,toknowwhatthewordsstandforconcretely,toownallthattheycanevermean。Butallexperienceshavetheirconditions;andover-subtleintellects,thinkingaboutthefactshere,andaskinghowtheyarepossible,haveendedbysubstitutingalotofstaticobjectsofconceptionforthedirectperceptualexperiences。
\"Sameness,\"theyhavesaid,\"mustbeastarknumericalidentity;itcan’trunonfromnexttonext。Continuitycan’tmeanmereabsenceofgap;forifyousaytwothingsareinimmediatecontact,_at_thecontacthowcantheybetwo?
If,ontheotherhand,youputarelationof51
transitionbetweenthem,thatitselfisathirdthing,andneedstoberelatedorhitchedtoitsterms。Aninfiniteseriesisinvolved,\"andsoon。Theresultisthatfromdifficultytodifficulty,theplainconjunctiveexperiencehasbeendiscreditedbybothschools,theempiricistsleavingthingspermanentlydisjoined,andtherationalistremedyingtheloosenessbytheirAbsolutesorSubstances,orwhateverotherfictitiousagenciesofunionmayhaveemployed。
Fromallwhichartificialitywecanbesavedbyacoupleofsimple-reflections:first,thatconjunctionsandseparationsare,atallevents,co-ordinatephenomenawhich,ifwetakeexperiencesattheirfacevalue,mustbeaccountedequallyreal;andsecond,thatifweinsistontreatingthingsasreallyseparatewhentheyaregivenascontinuouslyjoined,invoking,whenunionisrequired,transcendentalprinciplestoovercometheseparatenesswehaveassumed,thenweoughttostandreadytoperformtheconverseact。Weoughttoinvokehigherprinciplesof_dis_union,also,to52
makeourmerelyexperienced_dis_junctionsmoretrulyreal。Failingthus,weoughttolettheoriginallygivencontinuitiesstandontheirownbottom。Wehavenorighttobelopsidedortoblowcapriciouslyhotandcold。