New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1871-06-06
NETWORK DAILY TRIBUNE TUESDAY o1NsEkE g. 1871

which matter exhibits, may consider It, therefore,
5o,,o,.,ratoa tbot the phenomena of consciousness
oro otoiol nbenomena But the spiritualist setting
out I'll tho same data may argue with equal
- H., 70 the forces displayed by matter are
oo,iyable only under the shape of those equivalent
oounts of consciousness which they produce, IL is
90 no inferred that these forces when existing out OF
orsciousness are of the same intrinsic nature as
- visiting in consciousness; and that so Is
justified the spirualistic conception OF the eNtefi
rorld But he who rightly interprets
the doctrine contained in this work VIII
see that neither of these terms be taken az ultl
mateD Carried to whatever extent, the inquiries
of the psychologist do not reveal the ultimate nature
of mind any than do the inquiries OF the cheh-
st reveal the ultimate nature of matter, or those OF
the physicist the ultimate nature OF notion"
Though the chemist inclines to the belief in q
primitive atom out of which the multitudinous more
complex substances are formed, yet after all his
studies he knows more than he did at rst OF TINS
hypothetical primitive atom; and though we have
reason for thinking that there is primitive unit of
consciousness out Of which. by combination, are
formed sensations perceptions, ideas and so on up
to the highest thoughts and emotions yet TINS unit
of consciousness remains inscrntable. suppose IL
to have become quite clear that shock in conscious
ness, and molecular motion, are the SUD-
iective and objective faces of the same
thing; we continue utterly incapable Oh
uniting the two as to conceive that reanty OF
which they are the opposite faces. Ihe conception
OF misunderstanding mOlecue, which is our unit
of composition of external phenomena, is mental III
athree-fod sense; experiences of a rhythmically-
moving mass the derived conception of a rhythm
cally-movng molecule; and the re-representaton OF
these representative states on an INFINITELY reduced
scale. So that the unit, ont Of which we build our
Interpretation of material phenomena, IS trlpy
IDEAL when on decOmpOsng certain OF our
feelings we find them formed of minute shocks, sue
ceedng one another with different rapidities and in
different combinations, and conclude that all our
feelings are probably formed of such units Of con-
eciousness variously combined obliged to con
ceve this unit of consciousness as change wrought
bv some force in something. No effort of magma
ton enables us to think of shock however minute,
| except as undergone by an entity" "EXpel from
tle conception of mind every one OF those attributes
| by which we distinguish external something from
an external nothing and the conception OF mind be-
| comes nothing"
| "See then our predicament. We can think OF
| matter only in terms of mind. We can THINK
| of mind only III terms of matter. When we
| have pushed our explorations of the first to
| the uttemOst limit, we are referred TO the
| second for a final answer when we have got the
final answer of the second we are referred back to
the first for all Interpretation of it. We find the
value of g in terms of " then we find the value of y
| in terms Of and so Oh we may continue forever
without coming nearer to solution The antithesisof
Subject and Object be transcribed while con-
scionsness lasts renders impossible all knowledge of
that ultimate reality in which subject and object are
unitedr Yet if driven 10 a choice in this case Mr.
Spencer SAYS he should have 10 reject materalsm as
involving the greater difficulties He says: Never
theless il may Ice well TO say here, once for all,
that were we compelled to choose between the alter
natives OF tTanslatng mental phenomena into pbysl-
cal phenomena OF of tTansating physical phenomena
into mental phenomena the latter alternative would
seem the more acceptable Of the two " Though OF
the two il seems easier TO translate so-cacd matter
into so-caled spirit than to translate socalled spirit
into so-called matter which latter is indeed wholly
impossible yet translation can carry us beyond
our symbols Such vague conceptions as loom before
us are illusions coniuTed up 10y the wrong connota-
lions Of our words
But whatever verdict may be pronounced as TO
the tendency OF the results of Mr. Spencers system,
no philosophical student will fail to be impressed
with the admirable lucidity and effective power of
his method His reasoning combines the analytic
and synthetic forms ia an intellectual harmony,
such has been rarely if attained by previous
writers OH the philosophy of mind. His words are
felicitously chosen with reference to the complete
expression Of his thought, and never permit the
existence If a doubt to their full and precise
meaning. Ii any ob,curity is found III his discus
sons il is due not to the complication OF the am
biguity of his terms, but 10 the inherent difficulty
of reproducing abstract ideas IN the consciousness OF
the student. His analysis of mental phenomena al
ways receives support and illustration from the facts
81 NJ
less decided mastery than of the operations of our
intellectual nature The present volume like all
the philosophical writings OF the author. is distin
guished by the breadth of its grasp, and the COM
prehensiveness of its expositlons, well as 10y the
| snltle refinement of is nsychnlomcal anatomy.