Page:Mind (New Series) Volume 6.djvu/99

 EXTENT, DEGREE, AND UNITY IN SELF-CONSCIOUSNESS. 83 includes all those feelings of agency directed energy which go with all our voluntary or self-conscious acts. Generically, as subjective affections these feelings of agency may be classed as feelings and are compounded equally with other feelings in the whole subjective series, over against which stands the objective series of cognition and external act. Specifically the feeling of agency is distinguished from feeling in the emotional sense by the direction in which it is felt to work, i.e., towards effects in the objective rather than in the subjective series. Real states or shall we say events ? of feeling are (at least generally) complex in character, so that the feeling which stirs up more feeling and the feeling of agency are both exemplified. Nevertheless because of its peculiar significance the active side of the whole series claims some attention on its own account. Self-consciousness as related to the active self is the unity of the total self in its life of feeling with each feeling of agency as it arises. Hence an instinct may be said to enter into self-consciousness when it awakens feelings that enter into composition with the total of feeling, and thus draws the total into reaction in conjunction with it. The total will repel or support the instinct according as the feeling excited by the instinctive reaction is harmonious with the total or not. In the latter case the incorporation of the instinct in self-consciousness to the eventual loss no doubt of its character as instinct has begun. Obviously in the development of the self-conscious series on its active side there is occasion for the appearance of much individual variety. Every impulse come to self- consciousness, and harmonious with it, tends to draw the full force of the united whole into its alliance. And, on the other hand, every new element of self-consciousness, clear or obscure, is a new feature in character capable of attempt- ing a bias to reason, and powerful in proportion to the obscure force of impulse behind it. The significance in self- consciousness of these silent instinctive forces on which it rests is so great that some consideration of the nature of that significance pertains to our subject. 5. General effects of the instinctive self on self -consciousness. The supreme imperative of instinct is that element in conscience which makes it real. The psychological "must" that proceeds from the depths of our nature and absorbs all the strivings of our activity into it affects us as is to us while so affecting us the ethical "ought ". Nature would be outraged if this thing were not done. In impulsive natures it may be the wrong thing, but under the stress of