The Principles of Psychology, Volume 1 (of 2)James, William
Philosophy
The Principles of Psychology, Volume 1 (of 2)
James, William
Psychology
Suppose we restrict our view to facts of one and the same plane, and
let that be the bodily plane: cannot all the outward phenomena of
intelligence still be exhaustively described? Those mental images,
those 'considerations,' whereof we spoke,--presumably they do not
arise without neural processes arising simultaneously with them,
and presumably each consideration corresponds to a process _sui
generis_, and unlike all the rest. In other words, however numerous
and delicately differentiated the train of ideas may be, the train
of brain-events that runs alongside of it must in both respects be
exactly its match, and we must postulate a neural machinery that offers
a living counterpart for every shading, however fine, of the history
of its owner's mind. Whatever degree of complication the latter may
reach, the complication of the machinery must be quite as extreme,
otherwise we should have to admit that there may be mental events to
which no brain-events correspond. But such an admission as this the
physiologist is reluctant to make. It would violate all his beliefs.
'No psychosis without neurosis,' is one form which the principle of
continuity takes in his mind.
But this principle forces the physiologist to make still another step.
If neural action is as complicated as mind; and if in the sympathetic
system and lower spinal cord we see what, so far as we know, is
unconscious neural action executing deeds that to all outward intent
may be called intelligent; what is there to hinder us from supposing
that even where we know consciousness to be there, the still more
complicated neural action which we believe to be its inseparable
companion is alone and of itself the real agent of whatever intelligent
deeds may appear? "As actions of a certain degree of complexity are
brought about by mere mechanism, why may not actions of a still greater
degree of complexity be the result of a more refined mechanism?" The
conception of reflex action is surely one of the best conquests of
physiological theory; why not be radical with it? Why not say that just
as the spinal cord is a machine with few reflexes, so the hemispheres
are a machine with many, and that that is all the difference? The
principle of continuity would press us to accept this view.
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