Harvard Psychological Studies, Volume 1: Containing Sixteen Experimental Investigations from the Harvard Psychological Laboratory.
Science
Harvard Psychological Studies, Volume 1: Containing Sixteen Experimental Investigations from the Harvard Psychological Laboratory.
Psychology, Experimental
I can by a simple illustration show more plainly what I mean by the
statement that the blending of the inner and outer sensations is
necessary for the perception of space. I shall use the sense of sight
for the illustration, although precisely the same reasoning would
apply to the sense of touch. Suppose that I sat in an entirely passive
position and gazed at a spot on an otherwise blank piece of paper
before me. I am perfectly passive so far as motion on my part is
concerned. I may be engaged in any manner of speculation or be in the
midst of the so-called active attention to the spot; but I must be and
for the present remain motionless. Now, while I am in this condition
of passivity, suppose the spot be made to move slowly to one side by
some force external to myself. I am immovable all the while, and yet
am conscious of this movement of the spot from the first position,
which I call _A_, to the new position, _A'_, where it stops. The
sensation which I now have is qualitatively different from the
sensation which I had from the spot in its original position. My world
of experience thus far has been a purely qualitative one. I might go
on to eternity having experiences of the same kind, and never dream of
space, or geometry, nor should I have the unique experience of a
geometrical illusion, either optical or tactual. Now suppose I set up
the bodily movements of the eyes or the head, or of the whole body,
which are necessary to follow the path of that point, until I overtake
it and once more restore the quality of the original sensation. This
circle, completed by the two processes of external activity and
restoration by internal activity, forms a group of sensations which
constitutes the ultimate atom in our spatial experience. I have my
first spatial experience when I have the thrill of satisfaction that
comes from overtaking again, by means of my own inner activity, a
sensation that has escaped me through an activity not my own. A being
incapable of motion, in a world of flux, would not have the spatial
experience that we have. A being incapable of motion could not make
the distinction between an outer change that can be corrected by an
internal change, and an outer change that cannot so be restored. Such
an external change incapable of restoration by internal activity we
should have if the spot on the paper changed by a chemical process
from black to red.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account