PAGE I. Theories of the Soul-Hume's theory of the mind as the broken succession of our perceptions or thoughts without subject or substance-His doctrine of the knowable relations among the separately existing perceptions composing mind- His explanation of the knowable relations by foisting in a second mind of a peculiar nature-The theory self-contra- dictory and baseless, and involves a return to the theory of substance-The later form of the theory, in which mind is regarded as, not a disconnected, but a connected, succession of thoughts, a stream-Professor James' exposition-It is chargeable with similar inconsistency and errors to those of Hume's-Its grave faults especially as an account of memory and the sense of personal identity-Making a mind of the permanent and extended brain-II. The Soul maintained as a permanent and identical reality-Relation of soul and body-Mind as the producer of the conscious modes-Re- lation of the conscious affections and the producing mind- What do we really know of mind, and how?-Knowledge of the Succession of mind-Of its Permanence-Memory as a mode of mediate knowledge Knowledge of the mind superior to knowl- edge of the brain and every other physical object-Knowledge of personal identity-Knowledge of the mind our supreme Subject and Object discriminated-The two sorts of objects, Subject-Objects and Object-Objects (1) Relation of subject subject-object-Subject-objects constitute a distinct internal procession and system—(2) Relation of object- objects to subject and subject-objects-Possible cognition of 288427 the "window" theory of perception-Projection of sensations CHAPTER III THE NATURE AND OUR PERCEPTION OF MATTER Nature of Matter-Reality and nature of atoms-Perception CHAPTER IV PAGE 109 TRUTH Truth objective and subjective; or truth as fact or reality, 151 The intellect as conditioned in the making of truth by the PAGE SUBJECT AND OBJECT. CHAPTER I THE SUBJECT OR SOUL "To write a chapter for the purpose of showing that nothing is known, or can be known, of the subject which the title of the chapter indicates, will be thought strange." These are the words with which Mr. H. Spencer opens the chapter in his Psychology on the "Substance of Mind." The present discussion has its occasion in the conviction that the human mind is a permanent entity or substance, which can be and is known; and the primary purpose of the discussion is to expound and defend that conception. This statement is made for the convenience of the reader, that at the very beginning he may know clearly and certainly the point of view and aim of the essay; and it is hoped he will not be repelled by the frank avowal. But this purpose, it must be admitted, goes against what seems to be the main psychological tendency of the time. It is the contention of many that "the explanation of psychic life demands the complete elimination of the concept of substance"; and that the concept prevails only among "unreflective minds." Some of the most zealous opponents deride mental substance as an "accursed idol." 1 Psychology, I, p. 145. 1 |