New-York tribune., 1878-02-05
NEW PUBLICATIONS.
msCows COMPARATIVE PSYCHOLOGY.

a
the purpose of treatises on psychology is here post
noned 20 the discussion of the grounds of conscious
ness and intelligence in the organic forces OF the
universe. President Bascom makes no attempt TO
give an inventory or description of the faculties
of thc human mind, Of the methods of perception
and reflection, or Of the different classes of knowl-
edge which form the stores OF mental acquisition :;
he seeks rather TO investigate the origin and validity
of thought the nature Of intellectual action. and Its
relation with the cosmic forces that arc eXhiDited
III the laws of organic life.
Comparative psychology. as understood Ly inc
author embraces knowledge OF Intelligence, as II
exists IN the various forms OF conscious ac'NHy,
and is developed in its several stages Throughout lc
entire ANNUAL kingdom The primary hahiIeS''
tions OF intelligence penetrate far down among
material forces aud through the mediation OF an au
tomato life are closely interiaced With them ms
suggests the problem OF the relations OF lnlad ana
matter which the author treats in tone OF tenn
perate and acute, if not wholly satisfactory discus
sion. The antithesis between mind and matter, be-
tween thought and its external Objects between
combining activity and a relatively inert material,
be afms is incorporated with the experience OF the
human race In variable FORMS the antithesis is ex-
pressed IN common language by the words substance
and qualities, agents and acts; i'll science, by the
psychology. by mind and faculties, noumena and
phenomena in religion, by spirit and affections; ;
in rhetoric by thought and expression i'll art, Ivy
substance and form in the universe at large 10y
plan and fulflment, the active and passive as
poets of the constructive process. This atitheslS
is fundamental in our constitution. Ii arises from
the respective action OF the lntuitlons ana inc
senses All thinking is the union OF the two ele-
ments The senses present phenomena only al
foring no provOcatiOn to thought, no contrasts 10
COMPARISONS But our intuitlOns supplement the
senses with nOumena. and instantly there spring up
all the relations and dependencies of real being.
The full recOgnit on of mind, according to Prcsi-
dent Bascon, in contrast with matter, involves TWO
elements: First the fact that mental processes are
conscious processes and second that such processes
beyond our own consciousness are Indicated py
adaptiye purpose or what may be called, cosmic
order The anthor insists with great emphasis on
the principle that the phenomena of the mind are
conscious states. Mind he repeats in many forms
of expression, is ever conscious and mind is only
conscious To speak Of intelligence without con-
seriousness, is to impair the dividing line between
matter and mind. Nothing can be more remote
from human experience than intelligence which Is
not Intelligence. yet is set to do the work of intel
ligence.v In this respect President Bascom follows
the prevailing current of philosophical opln-
ion which regards the expression uncon-
scous intelligence" as contradiction i'll
terms. Yet in the very next sentence to
that quoted above he appears to admit the possibi
ity, at least of unconscious intelligence IN the
remark: "That whatever unconscious intelligence
may be- wkeR il is anything it is something which We
ought to sharply distinguish from intelligence proper,
from conscious kaoring." We have italiciSed some
words in this extract for the sake of perspicuty, and
oon "a hp
change of base. For if Unconscious intelligence"
is "something" which may be distinguished from
"intelligence proper. from conscious knowing"
then there must be two aspects Of intelligence, un-
conscious intelLgcncev and conscious intelligence
or intelligence proper" The term unconscious
Intelligence" therefore, has place in the phil
osophical vocabulary it denotes supposed fact IN
psychology and Ill the cosmc forces of Nature and
its existence remains to be proved, like other data
of experience, by observation and induction.
In truth, in raising the question of unconscious
intelligence President Bascom has brought for
ward a milestone, which 1t is not so easy to see
through as might at frat be supposed, and which 30
far from beng settled in the philosophical world 50
neatly as it is in the pages of the author at this
moment forms one of the most prominent themes of
speculation among European thinkers. 1t is not our
purpose here to discuss the problem do we claim
task; but few historical notices on the ,ubject
NAV be of interest to our readers. We may remark
at the outset that the question need not lead within
the domain of natural theology; the fact of "un-
conscious intelligence" in the material world and in
the human mind is TO be decided on evidence; and
il proved will be explained like other phenomena
of matter and of mind. according to personal mental
Tendencies and religious faith. The doctrine Of
unconscious intelligence" was beld by Leibnitz.
by Immaaue Kant. by Ralph CudwOrth and
Henry More the Cambridge Platonists of the seven
teenth century, by Sir William Hamilton, and
Others as well as by many profound thinkers whose
general theories are less in accordance with the
prevailing faith Of Chrstendom.
According to these thinkers, with whom the doc
trino has taken certain definite shape the supreme
fact of the Cosmos is that Nature is peryaded by a
principle of intelligence Of equal extent and
tainty as the Law OF Gravitation. This implies
Will and Purpose. but not Consciousness. If it is
supposed that Intelligence and Unconsciousness are
incompatible, facts are brought forward to show
that connected with the conscious intelligence
both OF man and animals. there is a large element of
unconscIousness, and that VIII and Purpose III the
Cosmos is Intelligence not yet arrived at conscious
ness or unconscious Intelligence. The statement of
an eminent American zo0ogist, though perhaps not
originally intended 10 apply to this question, affords
lucid aud forcible expression Of the doctrine Of
pervading cosmlc energy. There is power at work
in the universe which possesses foreknowledge the
design of q forecasting, foreordainiDg mind, a
thinking, intelligent animate being; such a conf
binatiOn of powers that 10 form Of physi-
cal laws could possibly be conceived TO represent"
{" Mind in Nature" by Henry James Clark, 1869
Add the feature OF Inconsistencies to this passage
and it forms "A complete counterpart both in thought
and diction, to the descriptions OF Hartmann, who
mas, perhaps be considered, at present the lead
ing representative of the Philosophy Of the CncOn-
scious in Europe. Frequent illustrations of the idea