The Group Mind: A Sketch of the Principles of Collective Psychology: With Some Attempt to Apply Them to the Interpretation of National Life and CharacterMcDougall, William
Science
The Group Mind: A Sketch of the Principles of Collective Psychology: With Some Attempt to Apply Them to the Interpretation of National Life and Character
McDougall, William
Ethnopsychology; National characteristics; Social psychology
These statements are no doubt correct; but both Lévy Bruhl and Cornford
commit the great error of assuming that the mental life of civilised man
is conducted by each individual in a purely rational and logical manner;
they overlook the fact that we also are largely dominated by collective
representations; for these collective representations are nothing but
ideas of objects to which traditional sentiments, sentiments of awe, of
fear, of respect, of love, of reverence, are attached. Almost the whole
of the religion and morality of the average civilised man is based on
his acquisition of such collective representations, traditional
sentiments grown up about ideas of objects, ideas which he receives
ready made and sentiments which are impressed upon him by the community
that has evolved them.
It is no doubt true that in the main the field of objects to which
collective representations apply is larger in savage life; and these
ideas are more uniform and more powerful and unquestioned, because the
group is more homogeneous in its sentiments. But it is, fortunately,
only a rare individual here and there among us who in considerable
degree emancipates himself from the influence of such representations
and becomes capable of confronting all objects about him in a perfectly
cool, critical, logical attitude—who can “peep and botanise upon his
mother’s grave.” Only by strict intellectual discipline do we progress
towards strictly logical operations in relation to real life, towards
pure judgments of fact as opposed to judgments of value. For our
judgments of value are rooted in our sentiments; and whatever is for us
an object of a sentiment of love or hate, of attachment or aversion, can
only with the greatest difficulty, if at all, be made an object of a
pure judgment of fact.
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