Page:Mind (Old Series) Volume 12.djvu/371

 358 F. H. BRADLEY : Hence the Atomism must go wholly, and the " associative links " must be connexions of content, not conjunctions of existences; in other words, association marries only universals. 1 I of course do not mean that bare universals are psychical facts. These connexions in strictness are not facts at all, although at times it may be convenient to call them so. An actual fact works so or so because of such or such a con- nexion when its content has one of the features connected ; and it is then a case or instance of the law. But the association by itself is the law by itself, and no actual event that can ever occur. Lower down I shall have to say more on what are called "dispositions," and must now advance rapidly. Atomism being rejected, the Law of Similarity goes with it. This of course expresses truth, but a truth which is derivative and a consequence from others. Its importance rests on the objection to sameness, but psychology (like other sciences) has a right to call phenomena identical so far as they have the same content. And if the sameness is a fiction, none the less it means to use it. We are therefore left with Contiguity, and it is necessary to restate this so as to make it depend always on identity of content, not of existence. " Every mental element when present tends to reinstate those elements with which it has been presented." The meaning of " tends " is that it does so unless prevented at the time, or unless something in the meantime has happened to prevent it, and that according to circumstances a greater or less force is required for prevention. The " element " means any distinguishable aspect of the ' what ' as against the mere ' that '. And we must remember that these connexions, being independent of the ' this ' of mere presentation, hold good everywhere, at all times, and with every context. This has most vital consequences. Psy- chology should of course not assert that its elements in truth and really do work in abstraction and apart from a presented context, and, if it is wise, it will remember that its separation of one part of the soul from the rest, or even again from the Universe at large, is made wholly on suffer- ance. But to anyone who brands this assumption as false- hood we must reply, ' If a fiction, it deals with the facts. Let psychology mind its own business.' Whether this altered law of Contiguity should keep its name, or have another such as Eedintegration, depends on those who have 1 I must refer the reader here to my Principles of Logic. I do not think I should be justified in occupying the pages of MIND with a reprint of my work.