The Monist, Vol. 1, 1890-1891 : $b A quarterly magazineVarious
Philosophy
The Monist, Vol. 1, 1890-1891 : $b A quarterly magazine
Various
Philosophy -- Periodicals
It might be, although it is not probable, that what appears green to me
and what I call green, may appear different to other people, perhaps
gray, red, or brown, or some other color that I know not of: yet
other people will—just as much as I do—call that peculiar sensation
green which they experience under the same conditions, for instance,
when seeing the fresh leaves of a tree. It is quite indifferent how
variegated in single minds the feelings may be that accompany each kind
of sensation. So long as they have for every special objective state a
special analogue, they can map out in their minds their surroundings,
they can have a correct representation of the world, and so long as
they employ the same symbols (words or other signs) for indicating
the same objective states, it is quite indifferent whether or not the
feelings that are produced in the process of observation vary. It would
make no more difference for the general purpose of mental operations,
than it would if we were to employ Roman letters, or Italics, or Greek
or Hebrew characters to designate the lines and points in explaining a
mathematical figure. The main thing is that certain points are marked
and represented by some sign which stands for this or that point and
for that alone.
To cite another example in illustration of the subjective element of
feeling in cognition, we may compare our knowledge of the world to
the map of a city. The map may be printed in black, green, red, blue,
or any other color. The color in which the map is printed represents
the subjective element of feeling, while the form of the lines, their
geometrical configuration, contains the objective element of the things
represented. The map is good, i. e. its representations are true, if
the squares and the streets of the city stand in the same relation
among each other, as the little blocks and divisions on the map do.
Whether the map is printed in green or blue will make no difference so
long as we find everything we want to know about the city represented
in a way such that we should be able to set ourselves aright and to
find our bearings if we went astray.
The subjective element in mind is not of one half the importance
generally attributed to it. The objective element, being that which is
represented, is paramount, and it is the aspiration of all the sciences
to concentrate their entire attention upon the objective features of
observation. Objective truth is what we want, and objective truth is
identical with a scientific description of facts.
* * * * *
What then is the criterion of objective truth for the interpretation
of facts? Is it not wanting? May it not be that a person, Mr. A., will
under given circumstances regularly see a ghost. Indeed we do not doubt
that he will, and we can even prove it by experiment. This being so, is
not the interpretation of facts as to whether the phenomenon is a real
ghost or a mere vision, beyond any criterion of truth?
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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