Page:Mind (New Series) Volume 8.djvu/448

 434 SHADWORTH H. HODGSON : by means of the nature and activities of Man, the highest in the scale of the real beings which are positively known to us by experience. In short, they are those which give a psychological answer to the philosophical question, and thereby raise psychology to the rank of philosophy by solving its distinctive problem as to the nature of Ultimate Eeality. I avow that, in my estimation, all such attempts bear written on their face the mark of presumption and imprac- ticability. My reason is, that they begin with the assumption of a subjective agent or agency, as for instance when they start with the distinction between Body and Mind, or between Subject and Object, without first ascertaining and justifying the meaning of these or similar terms by simple analysis of consciousness. Nevertheless so long, and so far, as the psychologists fairly face the philosophical problem, acknowledging that the problem of which they offer a solution is the problem which is distinctive of philosophy, they fairly entitle themselves to the name of philosophers, and their arguments are fairly entitled to be heard and pondered, and their solution, if found satisfactory, to be not only admitted but welcomed in all philosophical circles, welcomed heartily and with applause. I hope, in that case, that I should be found among those who were ready to retract their former adverse opinion as erroneous, and frankly acknowledge their mistake. I am not, however, intending to argue the question in the present paper. What I wish to do now is to give a somewhat more particular account of what psychological philosophy is, by distinguishing the main classes into which it falls, and by which it is represented at the present day, so that by its marks you may recognise it, when you happen to meet with one of its representatives. I class these philosophies under three heads, or theories of three kinds : 1. The Soul or Mind theory ; 2. The Ego theory ; 3. The Mental Function theory. 1. The good old Soul theory is of venerable and prehistoric antiquity. Things were supposed to be alive because they had souls in them, just as leaves are held by scientific people to be green because they have chlorophyll in them. Mere Matter, it was thought, could not animate itself ; it must possess a principle of animation which was not itself material, in virtue of which it became the vehicle of life, sentience, intelligence, and intelligent action ; that principle being, in fact, the real though hidden agent in all cases where the body, which was its vehicle, appeared to live and act as a sentient and intelligent being. But this theory of a Soul or Mind was evidently applicable