The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1910-12-19
he PUT PHILOSOPHY INTO NAN
~. EuELE BOCTROUN'S EyIOt,
or WILLIAM JAMES.
Presiding Over Freueh Acariem, NJ Mora,
anu Political scieaces ", BonIrnu,
Praises American for DarinS tn On.
slst on l.ife's Priority O,-r IAN

Paris. Dec M. Emile Boutr..,
presiding at the annual public mo-. r <
OF tho Academy OF Moral and POI q,
Sciences. prefaced his address, with '.....
utes TO members who had died durr.
he last year Among these was Pvt
William James OF Harvard. OF whuu -u.
learned academician said:
William James was one OF the gr"l-
est and most influential masters of CON.
temporary Psychology. By dint Of D.,
explaining TO US that we do not know o,ir.
selves. that IL Is impossible TO look into
ones own mind and that the eNI.r,
who studies us from the outside with
registering Instruments can alone tearn
Us what We really feel and are we have
almost been convinced that this Is 80
And tho human soul thus becomes a
thing of the. laboratory.
William James. himself a physlciau.
studied il in the laboratory. and he
found that what was studied there was
not the soul but rhe physiological sur.
roundings IN which the soul carries on
its actions; IL was the house. not the
tenant Then establishing like Diog.
enrs the possibility OF motion by mo-
ton itself. he triumphantly revived.
thanks TO the use OF clearer method.
the attempt to know one self scienrlf-
cally from wit hin. which had been begun
by Descartes and the Scotch school
He gave back to con science her Just
rights.
At the very moment when purely
experimental and objective psychology
seemed TO triumph. William James.
without desert ing this branch in quss-
tions which belong to it. restored intro
spectiv. psychology. the knowledge ot
the soul by the soul itself. and brought
il to the front place. And examined in
this way. the soul appeared infinitely
vastsr and richer than laborat DRY designs
showed IL.
And that Ia not all: James used To sav
that If man found il difficult 20 know
himself there were beings Of whom he
knew still less than of himself. that -
other men. We hardly look upon our
fellow creatures except from the OUTSIDE.
and II We show some perspicacity IN df-
ferentia ing their personalities from cur
own we are generally blind with regard
10 what they are in themselves. We have
ia" air. when We talk together. Of know
ing ourselves. 81 conversing and Of I'm
derst anding ourselves, but our converse
'ions are almost always nothing but
nonolOgueS successive or simultaneous
and other men only interest VIZ a. they
gravi'a's IN our orbit.
Now James considered that the hu-
man conscience was not necessarily in
capable Of putting itself in the place ~
the conscience Of others; hut he though
that Ia do 80 man must lay aside his
usual egoism and sefsu'ficiency and
confidently surrender himself 10 loV"
And this second life of the conscience
this capacity for intimate communion
with other ConsCisnceS. was according
to him III" psychological base II what
IL called religion.
/ James extollei religion because h.
placed life above abstract concept ions
and theories He who was hy calling u
I'm his professional chair rather than
'augh, them. He Eel, no Interest," in ready
/ mad" programmes. set methods and
I organized uniformity. Instruction in his
ewes WIS "a communion uf soul
1T appears that there are in America
students who only follow courses in order
+ To prepare for their examinat ions Tn.
lessons given 10y William James ow"rs
nothing Ia them on. day a. tho philH--
opher was developing one Of his ALWAYS
original theories with all Of his syon-
tan-ty depth and humorous animation
one II his pupils called him To order with
the words
4 DO h. serious for once in your life
Tn" warning. alas, was useless. for
no agreement could he reached a. 70
the meaning "f the word serious
William James did not simply put
back psychology into the soul he pu-
back philosophy into man. He dared so
interest. our desires. efforts. passions
JOYS. aspirations. beliefs. have a purporr
even for mind fed on modern science
and thar philosopher has the right ~
say with the Latin poet I am man
and judge nothing human foreign TO