The Principles of Psychology, Volume 2 (of 2)James, William
Science
The Principles of Psychology, Volume 2 (of 2)
James, William
Psychology
Just so with spaces beyond the body's limits. Continuing the
joint-feeling beyond the toe, the baby hits another object, which he
can still think of when he brings his hand back to its blister again.
That object at the end of that joint-feeling means a new place for him,
and the more such objects multiply in his experience the wider does the
space of his conception grow. If, wandering through the woods to-day by
a new path, I find myself suddenly in a glade which affects my senses
exactly as did another I reached last week at the end of a different
walk, I believe the two identical affections to present the same
persisting glade, and infer that I have attained it by two differing
roads. The spaces walked over grow congruent by their extremities;
though apart from the common sensation which those extremities give me,
I should be under no necessity of connecting one walk with another at
all. The case in no whit differs when shorter movements are concerned.
If, moving first one arm and then another, the blind child gets the
same kind of sensation upon the hand, and gets it again as often as he
repeats either process, he judges that he has touched the same object
by both motions, and concludes that the motions terminate in a common
place. From place to place marked in this way he moves, and adding the
places moved through, one to another, he builds up his notion of the
extent of the outer world. The seeing man's process is identical; only
his units, which may be successive bird's-eye views, are much larger
than in the case of the blind.
FEELINGS IN JOINTS AND FEELINGS IN MUSCLES.
1. _Feelings of Movement in Joints._
I have been led to speak of feelings which arise in joints. As these
feelings have been too much neglected in Psychology hitherto, in
entering now somewhat minutely into their study I shall probably at the
same time freshen the interest of the reader, which under the rather
dry abstractions of the previous pages may presumably have flagged.
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