the foundations of personality-第22节

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ough　associated　tracts　that　will　produce　conduct　of　one　kind　or　another　for　years　to　come。　We　spoke　in　a　previous　chapter　of　choice　as　an　integral　function　of　the　organism。　While　choice；　when　two　competing　stimuli　awake　competing　mechanisms；　may　be　non…cerebral　in　its　nature；　largely　speaking　it　is　a　function　of　the　cerebrum；　of　the　intelligence。　To　choose　is　a　constant　work　of　the　intelligence；　just　as　to　doubt　is　an　unavailing　effort　to　find　a　choice。　Choice　blocked　is　doubt；　one　of　the　unhappiest　of　mental　states。　I　shall　not　pretend　to　solve　the　mystery　of　WHO　chooses；WHAT　chooses；　perhaps　there　is　a　constant　immortal　ego；　perhaps　there　is　built　up　a　series　of　permanently　excited　areas　which　give　rise　to　ego　feeling　and　predominate　in　choice；　perhaps　competing　mechanisms；　as　they　struggle　（in　Sherrington's　sense）　for　motor　pathways；　give　origin　to　the　feeling　of　choice。　At　any　rate；　because　we　choose　is　the　reason　that　the　concept　of　will　has　arisen　in　the　minds　of　both　philosopher　and　the　man　in　the　street；　and　much　of　our　feeling　of　worth；　individuality　and　powermental　factors　of　huge　importance　in　characterarises　from　the　power　to　choose。　Choice　is　influenced　byor　it　is　a　net　result　ofthe　praise　and　blame　of　others；　conscience；　memory；　knowledge　of　the　past；　plans　for　the　future。　It　is　the　fulcrum　point　of　conduct！　That　animals　have　intelligence　in　the　sense　in　which　I　have　used　the　term　is　without　doubt。　No　one　who　reads　the　work　of　Morgan；　the　Peckhams；　Fabre；　Hobhouse　and　other　recent　investigators　of　the　instincts　can　doubt　it。　Whether　animals　think　in　anything　like　the　form　our　thought　takes　is　another　matter。　We　are　so　largely　verbal　in　thought　that　speech　and　the　capacity　to　speak　seem　intimately　related　to　thought。　For　the　mechanics　of　thought；　for　the　laws　of　the　association　of　ideas；　the　reader　is　referred　to　the　psychologists。　That　minds　differ　according　to　whether　they　habitually　follow　one　type　of　associations　or　another　is　an　old　story。　The　most　annoying　individual　in　the　world　is　the　one　whose　associations　are　unguided　by　a　controlling　purpose；　who　rambles　along　misdirected　by　sound　associations　or　by　accidental　resemblances　in　structure　of　words；　or　by　remote　meanings；who　starts　off　to　tell　you　that　she　（the　garrulous　old　lady）　went　to　the　store　to　get　some　eggs；　that　she　has　a　friend　in　the　country　whose　boy　is　in　the　army　（aren't　the　Germans　dreadful；　she's　glad　she's　born　in　this　country）；　city　life　is　very　hard；　it　isn't　so　healthy　as　the　country；　thank　God　her　health　is　good；　etc。；　etc。；〃　and　she　never　arrives　at　the　grocery　store　to　buy　the　eggs。　The　organizing　of　the　associations　through　a　goal　idea　is　part　of　that　organizing　energy　of　the　mind　and　character　previously　spoken　of。　The　mind　tends　automatically　to　follow　the　stimuli　that　reach　it；　but　the　organizing　energy　has　as　one　of　its　functions　the　preventing　of　this；　and　controlled　thinking　follows　associations　that　are；　as　it　were；　laid　down　by　the　goal。　In　fatigue；　in　illness；　in　certain　of　the　mental　diseases；　the　failure　of　the　organizing　energy　brings　about　failure　〃to　concentrate〃　and　the　tyranny　of　casual　associations　annoys　and　angers。　The　stock　complaint　of　the　neurasthenic　that　everything　distracts　his　attention　is　a　reversion　back　to　the　unorganized　conditions　of　childhood；　with　this　essential　difference：　that　the　neurasthenic　rebels　against　his　difficulty　in　thinking；　whereas　the　child　has　no　rebellion　against　that　which　is　his　normal　state。　Minds　differ　primarily　and　hugely　in　their　power　of　organizing　experience；　in　so　studying　and　recording　the　past　that　it　becomes　a　guide　for　the；　future。　Basic　in　this　is　the　power　of　resisting　the　irrelevant　association；　of　checking　those　automatic　mental　activities　that　tend　to　be　stirred　up　by　each　sound；　each　sight；　smell；　taste　and　touch。　The　man　whose　task　has　no　appeal　for　him　has　to　fight　to　keep　his　mind　on　it；　and　there　are　other　people；　the　so…called　absent…minded；　who　are　so　over…　concentrated；　so　wedded　to　a　goal　in　thought；　that　lesser　matters　are　neither　remembered　nor　noticed。　In　its　excess　overconcentration　is　a　handicap；　since　it　robs　one　of　that　alertness　for　new　impressions；　new　sources　of　thought　so　necessary　for　growth。　The　fine　mind　is　that　which　can　pursue　successfully　a　goal　in　thought　but　which　picks　en　route　to　that　goal；　out　of　the　irrelevant　associations；　something　that　enriches　its　conclusions。　Not　often　enough　is　mechanical　skill；　hand…mindedness；　considered　as　one　of　the　prime　phases　of　intelligence。　Intelligence；　en　route　to　the　conquest　of　the　world；　made　use　of　that　marvelous　instrument；　the　human　hand；　which　in　its　opposable　thumb　and　little　finger　sharply　separates　man　from　the　rest　of　creation。　Studying　causes　and　effects；　experimenting　to　produce　effect；　the　hand　became　the　principal　instrument　in　investigation；　and　the　prime　verifier　of　belief。　〃Seeing　is　believing〃　is　not　nearly　so　accurate　as　〃Handling　is　believing；〃　for　there　is　in　touch；　and　especially　in　touch　of　the　hands　and　in　the　arm　movements；　a　Reality　component　of　the　first　magnitude。　But　not　only　in　touching　and　investigating；　but　in　pushing　and　pulling　and　striking；　IN　CAUSING　CHANGE；　does　the　hand　become　the　symbol　and　source　of　power　and　efficiency。　Undoubtedly　this　phase　of　the　hands'　activities　remained　predominant　for　untold　centuries；　during　which　man　made　but　slow　progress　in　his　career　toward　the　leadership　of　the　world。　Then　came　the　phase　of　tool…making　and　using　and　with　that　a　rush　of　events　that　built　the　cities；　bridged　the　waters；　opened　up　the　Little　and　the　Big　as　sources　of　knowledge　and　energy　for　man　and　gave　him　the　power　which　he　has　used；but　poorly。　It　is　the　skill　of　human　hands　upon　which　the　mind　of　man　depends；　though　we　fly　through　the　air　and　speed　under　water；　some　one　has　made　the　tools　that　made　the　machine　we　use。　Therefore；　the　mechanical　skill　of　man；　the　capacity　to　shape　resisting　material　to　purpose；　the　power　of　the　detailed　applications　of　the　principles　of　movement　and　force　are　high；　special　functions　of　the　intelligence。　That　people　differ　enormously　in　this　skill；　that　it　is　not　necessarily　associated　with　other　phases　of　intelligence　are　commonplaces。　The　dealer　in　abstract　ideas　of　great　value　to　the　race　may　be　unable　to　drive　a　nail　straight；　while　the　man　who　can　build　the　most　intricate　mechanism　out　of　crude　iron；　wood　and　metal　may　be　unable　to　express　any　but　the　commonplaces　of　existence。　Intelligence；　acting　through　skill；　has　evolved　machinery　and　the　industrial　evolution；　acting　to　discover　constant　principles　operating　in　experience；　it　has　established　science。　Seeking　to　explain　and　control　the　world　of　unknown　forces；　it　has　evolved　theory　and　practice。　A　very　essential　division　of　people　is　on　the　one　hand　those　whose　effort　is　to　explain　things；　and　who　are　called　theorists；　and　those　who　seek　to　control　things；　the　practical　persons。　There　is　a　constant　duel　between　these　two　types　of　personalities；　and　since　the　practical　usually　control　the　power　of　the　world；　the　theorists　and　explainers　have　had　rather　a　hard　time　of　it；　though　they　are　slowly　coming　into　their　own。　Another　difference　between　minds　is　this：　that　intelligence　deals　with　the　relations　between　things　（this　being　a　prime　function　of　speech）；　and　intelligence　only　becomes　intellect　when　it　is　able　to　see　the　world　from　the　standpoint　of　abstract　ideas；　such　as　truth；　beauty；　love；　honor；　goodness；　evil；　justice；　race；　individual；　etc。　The　wider　one　can　generalize　correctly；　the　higher　the　intellect。　The　practical　man　rarely　seeks　wide　generalizations　because　the　truth　of　these　and　their　value　can　only　be　demonstrated　through　the　course　of　long　periods　of　time；　during　which　no　good　to　the　individual　himself　is　seen。　Besides　which；　the　practical　man　knows　that　the　wide　generalization　may　be　an　error。　Practical　aims　are　usually　immediate　aims；　whereas　the　aims　of　intellect　are　essentially　remote　and　may　project　beyond　the　life　of　the　thinker　himself。　We　speak　of　people　as　original　or　as　the　reverse；　with　the　understanding　that　originality　is　the　basis　of　the　world's　progress。　To　be　original　in　thought　is　to　add　new　relationships　to　those　already　accepted；　or　to　substitute　new　ones　for　the　old。　The　original　person　is　not　easily　credulous；　he　applies　to　traditional　teaching　and　procedure　the　acid　test　of　results。　Thus　the　astronomers　who　rejected　the　theological　idea　that　the　earth　was　the　center　of　the　universe　observed　that　eclipses　could　not　be　explained　on　such　a　basis；　and　Harvey；　as　he　dissected　bullocks'　hearts　and　tied　tourniquets　around　his　arms；　could　not　believe　that　Galen's　teaching　on　circulation　fitted　what　he　saw　of　the　veins　and　valves　of　his　arm。　The　original　observer　refuses　to　slide　over　stubborn　facts；　authority　has　less　influence　with　him　than　has　an　apple　dropping　downward。　In　another　way　the　original　thinker　is　constantly　taking　apart　his　experiences　and　readjusting　the　pieces　into　new　combinations　of　beauty；　usefulness　and　truth。　This　he　does　as　artist；　inventor　and　scientist。　Most　originality　lies　in　the　rejection　of　old　ideas　and　methods　as　not　consonant　with　results　and　experience；　in　the　taking　apart　and　the　isolation　of　the　components　of　experience　（an