Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-12-02
MAN AS A MACHINE.
Analysis Of the Human Mechanism
Transformation of Energy Into Motion

Analysis Of the Human Mechanism
Transformation of Energy Into Motion
From the Literary Digest.
A moving train may be studied from two
standpoints. We may investigate the trans
formation of energy that results in its mo-
tion-the action and interaction Of different
parts of the NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS. mention
ing the engineer who stands with his hand
on the throttle. Such treatment would be
complete from the physical standpoint. Or,
we may disregard all this and treat the
motion as due to the engineer, who is in
turn controlled by his superiors acting by
and through a system of regulations. To
understand fully what is taking place, both
series of phenomena must be taken into ac-
count So. too. psychologists generally
recognize that there are two parallel series
of phenomena to be studied in man. To re-
gard man entirely as machine, disregard
ing the fact that he Is conscious of what he
does and that this consciousness modifies
his acts, would not be justihable, yet it is
possible to look at him from that stand
point and mechanical psychology is COM
plete as far as 1t goes. In an article on
what he calls "Objective Psychology" con-
tributed to the Revue Scientifique, Prof. w.
Bechtereff of the Medical Academy of St.
Petersburg takes up the subject from this
side In the first place he asserts that the
difference between conscious and an auto
matte act depends entirely upon the time
of action. The acts that we call "con-
scious' take place, he tells US, always in a
relatively longer period of time than simple
reflex acts. He goes on to say:
THE speed of association in conscious
ness varies generally between one.dfth and
one-eighth of a second which is an enor-
mously long time compared with the rapid
ity of reflex acts. On the other hand, 1t is
well known that conscious and voluntary
acts become unconscious and automatic by
tod n hn-
comes more rapid 1t is known also that
rapid complex psychic processes. such as a
series Of states of emotion, normal or
pathologic, are accompanied by a less de-
gree of consciousness than those that pass
softly and quietly. 1t is known that every
clearly and deeply conscious act is accom-
panied by a depression OF the voluntary
movements. Inversely all psychic acts lead
ing to a series of involuntary movements
are less conscious and sometimes quite un-
conscious. Evidently. with the disappear
ance Of obstacles to transfers of neuro-
psychic energy, consciousness also Is lost
consequently the growth of obstacles in the
nerve centers, accompanied naturally by
the retardation of neuro-psychic processes,
leads to consciousness. To put it different
ly, consciousness OF neuro-pSychic activity
is the result OF obstacles to the transfer of
neuro psychic energy, which, having
reached a certain intensity, causes SUBJ
jective manifestations Of this activity
1t Is for this reason, the author asserts
that psychology has an outer and an inner
aspect-the former objective. and related
solely to what takes place In the nerve
centers, the other subjective, and related to
what takes place in our consciousness. Il
he is right in saying that the latter phe-
nomena are due entirely to obstructive con-
d!tions in the former 1t Is certain that there
is no conscious process that does not de-
pend in some way on what takes place in
the nerve centers. To quote again:
''Some Of the simplest reflex acts are I'M
conscious, but those that are little more
complicated become conscious. Five stages
intervene between a stimulation and the re-
sulting movement: % Reception of the ex-
ternal irrigation, (2) inward transmission
along a nerve, 3) central reaction, "a out
ward transmission. (9 muscular contrac-
ton. OF these only the third. the central
reaction, is accompanied by consciousness;
Ii is the germ Of conscious mental activity.
"In the higher neuro-psychic processes we
have complication of the central reac-
ton. consisting in Its delay in several nerve
centers, where 1t is retained, transformed
and multiplied, and fixed in a subjective
form. leaving trace capable of being re-
vived In this case all the direction Of the
nervous activity is only the consequence