The Monist, Vol. 1, 1890-1891 : $b A quarterly magazineVarious
Philosophy
The Monist, Vol. 1, 1890-1891 : $b A quarterly magazine
Various
Philosophy -- Periodicals
We must distinguish between two kinds of facts; viz., given facts or
data, and deduced facts or inferences. With regard to the facts of
soul-life we recognise that the former class, that of given facts,
necessarily consists of states of consciousness only; they are feelings
of any description, varying greatly in their nature. They are different
in the rhythmical forms of their vibrations, in their intensity, and in
their distinctness. The latter class, that of inferences, is deduced
from the former, and serves no other purpose than that of explanation.
This class is mostly representative of external facts, and knowledge of
external facts exists only in so far as external facts are represented
in deduced facts. What a thinking being would call external facts is
nothing but the contents of certain deduced facts.
Deduced facts, and among them the conception of external facts
(wherever they exist), have been produced by the effort of accounting
for given facts—viz., the elementary data of consciousness and their
relations. Deduced facts are the interpretation of given facts. They
are, so to say, conjectures concerning their causes as well as their
interconnections.
#Definition of mind.#
The organised totality of deduced facts, as it is developed in feeling
substance, is called mind. Feelings are the condition of mind. From
feelings alone mind can grow. But there is a difference between
feelings and mind. Feelings develop into mind, they grow to be mind by
being interpreted, by becoming representative. Representative feelings
are mind. Accordingly, we characterise mind as the representativeness
of feelings.
#The growth of mind.#
Although deduced facts are an interpretation of given facts, this
"interpretation" is not expressly designed. These inferences from
given facts are not invented with a premeditated purpose; they are
not constructed with foresight or intention. Deduced facts grow
naturally and spontaneously from given facts, which are the elements of
sense-activity. There is not an agent that oversees their fabrication;
there is not a devising "subject" that surmises the existence of
external facts and thus matures their conception into deduced facts.
Deduced facts are rather the natural product of a certain group of
given facts. Deduced facts issue from a co-operation of a number of
feelings. They are the result of an organisation of certain repeated
sense-impressions which produce a disposition not only to receive
sense-impressions of the same kind, but also to react upon them in a
certain way. Mind is not the factor that organised the given facts of
mere sense-impressions so that they became representations. There was
no mind as long as feelings remained unorganised. Feelings acquire
meaning; and as soon as they have acquired meaning they are what we
call "deduced facts," representations—especially representations of
external facts. Deduced facts are the elements of mind; and mind is not
their root, but their fruit.
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