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perience shows me that that course alone is satisfactory to the author, secures in the long run the respect of the Public, and what is above all, commands the respect of the writer's own science.

The whole work must be regarded as but a brief outline of the subject. On this account, it has neither fallen within the scope of the work, nor has it been in accordance to my own inclination to compare this system with the systems of others previously published, and which have been employed to the best of my ability whilst writing it. The study of these subjects affords to the mind the highest pleasure; and although the development of this book has already been a pleasing employment to myself, yet if it should be found of corresponding utility, it will in future years be an additional source of gratification.

7, FINSBURY CIRCUS.

March 18th, 1851.

PROCESS OF THOUGHT,

ETC.

CHAPTER I.

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ON THE NATURAL PROCESS OF THOUGHT.

(1) Art does not enhance the natural perfection of Man.(2) Reception of Ideas.-(3) Limitation of Ideas.-(4) Changing Ideas.-(5) Memory.-(6, 7) Powers of Mind.

(1.) THE perfection of the operation of the brain, by which man performs the noblest attributes of his nature, can no more be enhanced by a knowledge of its organization, than the working of a steam engine could be improved, if it could be made to know the mechanism by which it obtained its desired result. Nevertheless, it is practically found that a study of the laws of mental operations is advantageous, inasmuch as such knowledge inspires confidence to its possessor, enables him to check any result which he has obtained by the natural process of thought, and thus adds a confirmation to his opinion previously formed.

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(2.) Electro-Biology teaches that man receives impressions from the external world through the medium of his organs of sensation, transmits those impressions to the brain, and there registers them in certain combinations in such a manner, as to render the sensorium one vast mechanism, in which everything which has been heard, or seen, or felt, or smelt, or touched, has produced an effect which modifies the action of any impression which may be subsequently received.

(3.) It would appear then, that every idea, or action on the brain, is ultimately resolvable into an action on a certain combination of nervous fibres, which is definite and determinable, and, regarding the sum total of the nervous fibres, is a positive result over a certain portion only, which has a distinct and clearly defined limit. Thus, if we take ten nervous fibrils, and call them A B C D E F G H I J, and suppose an action to have occurred on D E F, the combination excited to action, will give rise to an idea which would depend upon their positive excitement, and the positive character of the idea would be limited to that combination. Instead of using the letters D E F, I may illustrate the proposition by assuming the fore-finger to represent those letters, when it would be apparent, that if that finger was placed in hot water, the idea of that particular action of the hot water would be confined to the nerves supplying that part.

(4.) The operations of the mind would be very simple, if they could be reduced to ideas of so simple a character; but in a state of nature, various ideas are represented to the mind continually varying: thus--whilst I write, the gas-light and fire-light excite the nerves of my eye, the crackling of the burning embers excites the nerves of my ear, and I feel the pen which enables me to communicate my thoughts. These different ideas are represented over a varying length of time; and their relations to each other are the source of our notions of Time-of Motion-of Cause. To illustrate my position by symbols, we may have A B enduring for some time, and whilst continuing, C D may come into play and pass away for E F, and then in their turn to pass away for G H, when A B may finally pass away, and C D arise; and at last DEFG may alone remain. Thus we should have several distinct ideas represented successively to the mind.

(5.) Ideas once implanted, may appear again to the mind at some future period, either as they were at first received or conjoined with other ideas, when the effect is termed an act of memory or thought; and this is distinguished from a reality by its being unaccompanied by an action on the nerves of sensation.

(6.) The mind has the power of combining a number of ideas to form a general law, or of

4 OPPOSITION BETWEEN PRESENT AND FORMER IDEAS.

lysing a general law into the specific instances from which it has been induced. Lastly, it may analyse any specific idea into the combination of nervous fibrils excited.

(7.) When any new impression is received, the mind can determine the accordance or discordance between it and former ideas, or can determine the similar relation which exists between previously received ideas.

Such are the few leading powers which the mind possesses to conduct its operations; and the laws of their action will be found to comprise every case of mental operation.

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