The Principles of Psychology, Volume 2 (of 2)James, William
Science
The Principles of Psychology, Volume 2 (of 2)
James, William
Psychology
I am unfortunately prevented by the weakness of my own eyes from
experimenting enough to form a decided personal opinion on the matter.
It seems to me, however, that the balance of evidence is against the
Wheatstonian interpretation, and that disparate points may fuse,
without identical points for that reason ever giving double images. The
two questions, "Can we see single with disparate points?" and "Can we
see double with identical points?" although at the first blush they may
appear, as to Helmholtz they appear, to be but two modes of expressing
the same inquiry, are in reality distinct. The first may quite well be
answered affirmatively and the second negatively.
Add to this that the experiment quoted from Helmholtz above by no
means always succeeds, but that many individuals place their finger
between the object and _one_ of their eyes, oftenest the right;[220]
finally, observe that the identity-theory, with its Cyclopean starting
point for all lines of direction, gives by itself no ground for the
_distance_ on any line at which an object shall appear, and has to
be helped out in this respect by subsidiary hypotheses, which, in
the hands of Hering and others, have become so complex as easily to
fall a prey to critical attacks; and it will soon seem as if _the
law of identical seen directions by corresponding points, although a
simple formula for expressing concisely many fundamental phenomena,
is by no means an adequate account of the whole matter of retinal
perception._[221]
_The Projection-Theory_.
Does the theory of projection fare any better? This theory admits that
each eye sees the object in a different direction from the other,
along the line, namely, passing from the object through the middle of
the pupil to the retina. A point directly fixated is thus seen on the
optical axes of both eyes. There is only one point, however, which
these two optical axes have in common, and that is the point to which
they converge. Everything directly looked at is seen at this point, and
is thus seen both single and at its proper distance. It is easy to show
the incompatibility of this theory with the theory of identity. Take an
objective point (like O in Fig. 50, when the star is looked at) casting
its images R' and L' on geometrically dissimilar parts of the two
retinæ and affecting the outer half of each eye. On the identity-theory
it ought necessarily to appear double, whilst on the projection-theory
there is no reason whatever why it should not appear single, provided
only it be located by the judgment on each line of visible direction,
neither nearer nor farther than its point of intersection with the
other line.
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