Problems of Life and Mind
295 REVIEWS.
: the Study of Psychology, its Object, Scope and Method. Third Series. By George Henry Lewes. London : Triibner & Co. 1879.
The late Mr. Gr. H. Lewes, who was well known as a dille- tante physiologist and psychologist, published before his death a work entitled The Physical Basis of Life, which added nothing to our knowledge of physiology, and was only remark- able for pretentiousness and pedantry. His posthumous treatise, Problems of Life and Mind, is a still greater failure. He belongs to the same school of pseudo-philosophy as Comte, Bain, Werndt, Spencer, Huxley, &c. &c., though differing from them on some points; but in spite of his metaphysical verbiage, his leaning towards materialism is perfectly apparent. The anxious student whose mind is wavering between belief in ne- cessity or freewill, and who takes up these Problems in the hope of finding the solution of his doubts, is likely to rise from the perusal of them with his brain completely addled. We can picture to ourselves the misery and distraction he would have to endure whilst attempting to get at the meaning of the following passage with reference to the general question of objective and subjective laws : ” Biology presents it in a peculiar light; for here for the first time the twofold aspect of phe- nomena becomes conspicuous, our interest in the subjective side, that of feeling, being as great as our interest incthe objective side, that of force, “it takes its undeniable place among the objective sciences, for although vital phenomena are special, they are specialisations of the general properties of matter, and are expressible in terms of force. It also takes its place among the subjective sciences, since its phenomena include those of mind. In its evolution it passes from vegetality to aniinality, and through animality to humanity. With animality a new factor, sensibility, becomes conspicuous. With humanity another factor emerges?sociality.”
G. H. Lewes, like all the physiological psychologists, has jumbled mental faculties and bodily functions together, in a manner not warranted by introspection or scientific research. Psychological and Ethical Definitions on a Physiological Basis. By Charles Bray. London: Triibner & Co.
This pamphlet is dedicated to the President and Members of the Psychological Society of Great Britain. We cannot suppose that a treatise like this, with an unmistakably strong materialistic tendency, can be acceptable to a society which believes that the spirit of man is so entirely independent of physiological conditions, that it can pass through stone walls with as much facility as a harlequin through a trap-door. The writer is a profound admirer of Gr. H. Lewes, whom he takes as his model, and his judgment is constantly warped by the speculations of that physiological psychologist. Under the influence of his teaching, and of the school to which he belongs, his conclusions are based on a wrong premiss, and it would be a waste of time to point out the numerous mistakes into which false logic has led him; for, as Groethe liomorously said? If the premises are hollow The conclusions will not follow..
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