New-York tribune., 1898-01-10
NEW PUBLICATIONS.
A FRENCHMAN ON THE EMOTIONS.

THE PSYCHOLOGY OF THE EMOTIONS. BY, BY tn Et0,; .N
Professor az the College 81 france hai,or 8t IN, ,ns
Soribner's Sons
NJ. Ribot is eminent representative OF the
school Of psychologists for whom that science Is a
province OF physiology and dependent thereon for
the solution OF Its problems; in word the profess
sors Of psychology without a psyche. or soul That
physiology has Illuminated and enriched psychology
is undeniable: that IT has annexed it. or can Is
claim Of overenthusiastic specialists
Professor Rbot's present work whatever be It's
defects. IS at any rate. an elaborate exploration
Of a field hitherto comparatively neglected. More
over, his main thesis Is incontestable. viz All
states OF feeling the direct and immediate ex-
preston Of the vegetatve q. e. rudimentary) life.
In other words. feeling. sentency, is the primor-
dial quality which life manifests TO the observer.
Intelligence is later In manifestation But here
general agreement ends. Divergence begins In the
question OF the essential nature OF these states OF
feeling According 10 NJ Rbot. they have n to-
tally different origin from intelligence. Taking up
at the outset the lowest form OF life IN the CELL its
vital or organic sensbility, which IS an embryonic
form Of conscious sensibty and supports f." is
SAID to be most probably explained on physico-
chemical grounds" This sheery materalist,c hy-
pothesis to account for the primitive phenomena OF
life is Characteristic Of NJ Rbots school and OF
course affects all its conclusions. The dilemma
which he puts that either scnsibity intelligence
must be primordal. is faacious. Undoubtedly the
former is far as mere phenomena are concerned.
the aboriginal thing. But unless the conscious In
teieence Of mind were involved and laten; in the
eensibilty from the first its subsequent emergence
is nationally inexplicable Ore may well say III
there had ne'er been mind. then mind had never
been"
1t was a saying OF Professor Blackie that no man
could be truly understood by another except
through the medium Of sympathy. Human phe-
nomena likewise dependent on sympathy for
5ust appreciation. Here is NJ Ribot's disqualified
ton for Just account Of the religious sentiment.
He is utterly deficient In II himself. To him II is
totally independent Of morality; It is egostic and
utilitarian in its final stage Of evolution It passes
into mere intellectualism a philosophy II is a
curious fact that NJ Rbot does not recognize rev.
erence as an element in religion. His examination
10 limited 10 It's lower nd cruder forms.
Others of his conclusions are more sound Con-
science Is not a special with an innate fac
uity Of DISTINGUISHING right from wrong it is sim
ply a comprehensive term for the mass Of complex
feelings which determine conduct. An element OF
the first Importance for moral Development when
Mr. Spencer failed TO recognize In his Data or
Ethics" is admitted by NJ Rbot-viz prophets.
IN the highest Biblical sense OF the word as forth
tellers or spokesmen. rather than foreteers. or
soothsayers "dscoverers IN morals, he calls
them. From causes Of which we are ignorant but
analogous to those which prodi ce treat poets or
painters. there arise OF tndisputable moral
superiority who feel what others do not feel Just
ns a great poet does conpa ed with ordinary men
The fact here touched is fatal TO every materiasic
theory Of life The laws OF matter allow no place
for free initiative. The physico-chemical base On
which life starts according TO NJ Rbot. can yield
nothing higher than Itself. Materiallsm can ac-
count for nothing which is not rigidly conservative
Of the original type. The free initiative OF the dis
coverer in morals" the prophet In any Hne'
breaking with conservatism and abol:shng the
past is proof Of non-material cause Ihls VI.
R.bot canddly admits, and ;ells US we do not kno"
what * Is. Ii is simply that creative intelligence
which originates and animates the whole evolu-
tionary process. for which his theory OF lie has no
place but which is simply another name for lie
itself Finally constrained 70 protest mat
contemporary science is by no means so material
istic and non-religous irreiSious as some recent
contributions from France TO the Contemporary
Science Series" would lead one to suppose