Page:American Journal of Sociology Volume 10.djvu/521

 METAPHYSICAL ELEMENTS IN SOCIOLOGY $0$

Professor Giddings, in defending his principle against the criti- cism that it is merely a biological fact, holds that the very fact that there is a consciousness involves it in a higher science, viz., psychology. Then he goes on to say that within the realm of the facts of psychology one must distinguish between those conscious phenomena which are social and those which are not social. He says:

According to the argument of this volume, the simplest known or con- ceivable social state of the mind is a sympathetic consciousness of resemblance between the self and the not-self. Consequently, a consciousness of difference between the self and the not-self is a fact of psychology only ; while a sym- pathetic consciousness of resemblance between the self and the not-self is both a fact of psychology and a datum of sociology. In other words, the apprehen- sion by the self of its own image in the not-self seems to me the natural point of departure of sociology from psychology.*

Taking him at his word here, and combining this with a section from his smaller book, gives us a very plain admission of the necessity of the self in consciousness of kind. In the quotation just given he says :

The simplest known or conceivable social state is a sympathetic con- sciousness of resemblance between the self and the not-self. 10

In the other book he says :

Complex as it is, consciousness of kind is the simplest of all states of mind 10 that can be called social."

By an entirely legitimate inference, we get the proposition : Consciousness of kind is a sympathetic consciousness of resem- blance between the self and the not-self. This would then give us a perfect right to say that his principle involves the self-notion as an essential element. Again, he says :

The shifting elements of circumstance and the varying moods of person- ality must be taken into account before we can tell how the consciousness of kind will form itself and will direct action in any concrete case."

The use of the term " personality " in this sentence is sufficient substantiation of our position. Dr. J. W. L. Jones, in an investi-

Principles of Sociology, preface to the 3d ed., p. xii.

10 Italics mine. " Elements of Sociology, p. 66.

"Principles of Sociology, p. xiv.