lecture09-第2节

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was　influenced　similar　to　the　Apostles　on　the　day　of　Pentecost



（with　the　exception　of　having　power　to　give　it　to　others；　and



doing　what　they　did）。　　After　breakfast　I　went　round　to　converse



with　my　neighbors　on　religion；　which　I　could　not　have　been　



hired　to　have　done　before　this；　and　at　their　request　I　prayed



with　them；　though　I　had　never　prayed　in　public　before。







〃I　now　feel　as　if　I　had　discharged　my　duty　by　telling　the　truth；



and　hope　by　the　blessing　of　God；　it　may　do　some　good　to　all　who



shall　read　it。　　He　has　fulfilled　his　promise　in　sending　the　Holy



Spirit　down　into　our　hearts；　or　mine　at　least；　and　I　now　defy　all



the　Deists　and　Atheists　in　the　world　to　shake　my　faith　in



Christ。〃







So　much　for　Mr。　Bradley　and　his　conversion；　of　the　effect　of



which　upon　his　later　life　we　gain　no　information。　　Now　for　a



minuter　survey　of　the　constituent　elements　of　the　conversion



process。







If　you　open　the　chapter　on　Association；　of　any　treatise　on



Psychology；　you　will　read　that　a　man's　ideas；　aims；　and　objects



form　diverse　internal　groups　and　systems；　relatively　independent



of　one　another。　　Each　'aim'　which　he　follows　awakens　a　certain



specific　kind　of　interested　excitement；　and　gathers　a　certain



group　of　ideas　together　in　subordination　to　it　as　its　associates；



and　if　the　aims　and　excitements　are　distinct　in　kind；　their



groups　of　ideas　may　have　little　in　common。　　When　one　group　is



present　and　engrosses　the　interest；　all　the　ideas　connected　with



other　groups　may　be　excluded　from　the　mental　field。　　The



President　of　the　United　States　when；　with　paddle；　gun；　and



fishing…rod；　he　goes　camping　in　the　wilderness　for　a　vacation；



changes　his　system　of　ideas　from　top　to　bottom。　　The　presidential



anxieties　have　lapsed　into　the　background　entirely；　the　official



habits　are　replaced　by　the　habits　of　a　son　of　nature；　and　those



who　knew　the　man　only　as　the　strenuous　magistrate　would　not　〃know



him　for　the　same　person〃　if　they　saw　him　as　the　camper。







If　now　he　should　never　go　back；　and　never　again　suffer　political



interests　to　gain　dominion　over　him；　he　would　be　for　practical



intents　and　purposes　a　permanently　transformed　being。　　Our



ordinary　alterations　of　character；　as　we　pass　from　one　of　our



aims　to　another；　are　not　commonly　called　transformations；　because



each　of　them　is　so　rapidly　succeeded　by　another　in　the　reverse



direction；　but　whenever　one　aim　grows　so　stable　as　to　expel



definitively　its　previous　rivals　from　the　individual's　life；　we



tend　to　speak　of　the　phenomenon；　and　perhaps　to　wonder　at　it；　as



a　〃transformation。〃







These　alternations　are　the　completest　of　the　ways　in　which　a　self



may　be　divided。　　A　less　complete　way　is　the　simultaneous



coexistence　of　two　or　more　different　groups　of　aims；　of　which　one



practically　holds　the　right　of　way　and　instigates　activity；



whilst　the　others　are　only　pious　wishes；　and　never　practically



come　to　anything。　　Saint　Augustine's　aspirations　to　a　purer　life；



in　our　last　lecture；　were　for　a　while　an　example。　　Another　would



be　the　President　in　his　full　pride　of　office；　wondering　whether



it　were　not　all　vanity；　and　whether　the　life　of　a　wood…chopper



were　not　the　wholesomer　destiny。　　Such　fleeting　aspirations　are



mere　velleitates；　whimsies。　　They　exist　on　the　remoter　outskirts



of　the　mind；　and　the　real　self　of　the　man；　the　centre　of　his



energies；　is　occupied　with　an　entirely　different　system。　　As　life



goes　on；　there　is　a　constant　change　of　our　interests；　and　a



consequent　change　of　place　in　our　systems　of　ideas；　from　more



central　to　more　peripheral；　and　from　more　peripheral　to　more



central　parts　of　consciousness。　　I　remember；　for　instance；　that



one　evening　when　I　was　a　youth；　my　father　read　aloud　from　a



Boston　newspaper　that　part　of　Lord　Gifford's　will　which　founded



these　four　lectureships。　　At　that　time　I　did　not　think　of　being　a



teacher　of　philosophy；　and　what　I　listened　to　was　as　remote　from



my　own　life　as　if　it　related　to　the　planet　Mars。　　Yet　here　I　am；



with　the　Gifford　system　part　and　parcel　of　my　very　self；　and　all



my　energies；　for　the　time　being；　devoted　to　successfully



identifying　myself　with　it。　　My　soul　stands　now　planted　in　what



once　was　for　it　a　practically　unreal　object；　and　speaks　from　it



as　from　its　proper　habitat　and　centre。







When　I　say　〃Soul；〃　you　need　not　take　me　in　the　ontological　sense



unless　you　prefer　to；　for　although　ontological　language　is



instinctive　in　such　matters；　yet　Buddhists　or　Humians　can



perfectly　well　describe　the　facts　in　the　phenomenal　terms　which



are　their　favorites。　　For　them　the　soul　is　only　a　succession　of



fields　of　consciousness：　　yet　there　is　found　in　each　field　a



part；　or　sub…field；　which　figures　as　focal　and　contains　the



excitement；　and　from　which；　as　from　a　centre；　the　aim　seems　to　be



taken。　　Talking　of　this　part；　we　involuntarily　apply　words　of



perspective　to　distinguish　it　from　the　rest；　words　like　〃here；〃



〃this；〃　〃now；〃　〃mine；〃　or　〃me〃；　and　we　ascribe　to　the　other　parts



the　positions　〃there；〃　〃then；〃　〃that；〃　〃his〃　or　〃thine；〃　〃it；〃



〃not　me。〃　　But　a　〃here〃　can　change　to　a　〃there；〃　and　a　〃there〃



become　a　〃here；〃　and　what　was　〃mine〃　and　what　was　〃not　mine〃



change　their　places。







What　brings　such　changes　about　is　the　way　in　which　emotional



excitement　alters。　　Things　hot　and　vital　to　us　to…day　are　cold



to…morrow。　　It　is　as　if　seen　from　the　hot　parts　of　the　field　that



the　other　parts　appear　to　us；　and　from　these　hot　parts　personal



desire　and　volition　make　their　sallies。　　They　are　in　short　the



centres　of　our　dynamic　energy；　whereas　the　cold　parts　leave　us



indifferent　and　passive　in　proportion　to　their　coldness。







Whether　such　language　be　rigorously　exact　is　for　the　present　of



no　importance。　　It　is　exact　enough；　if　you　recognize　from　your



own　experience　the　facts　which　I　seek　to　designate　by　it。







Now　there　may　be　great　oscillation　in　the　emotional　interest；　and



the　hot　places　may　shift　before　one　almost　as　rapidly　as　the



sparks　that　run　through　burnt…up　paper。　　Then　we　have　the



wavering　and　divided　self　we　heard　so　much　of　in　the　previous



lecture。　　Or　the　focus　of　excitement　and　heat；　the　point　of　view



from　which　the　aim　is　taken；　may　come　to　lie　permanently　within　a



certain　system；　and　then；　if　the　change　be　a　religious　one；　we



call　it　a　CONVERSION；　especially　if　it　be　by　crisis；　or　sudden。







Let　us　hereafter；　in　speaking　of　the　hot　place　in　a　man's



consciousness；　the　group　of　ideas　to　which　he　devotes　himself；



and　from　which　he　works；　call　it　THE　HABITUAL　CENTRE　OF　HIS



PERSONAL　ENERGY。　　It　makes　a　great　difference　to　a　man　whether



one　set　of　his　ideas；　or　another；　be　the　centre　of　his　energy；



and　it　makes　a　great　difference；　as　regards　any　set　of　ideas



which　he　may　possess；　whether　they　become　central　or　remain



peripheral　in　him。　　To　say　that　a　man　is　〃converted〃　means；　in



these　terms；　that　religious　ideas；　previously　peripheral　in　his



consciousness；　now　take　a　central　place；　and　that　religious　aims



form　the　habitual　centre　of　his　energy。







Now　if　you　ask　of　psychology　just　HOW　the　excitement　shifts　in　a



man's　mental　system；　and　WHY　aims　that　were　peripheral　become　at



a　certain　moment　central；　psychology　has　to　reply　that　although



she　can　give　a　general　description　of　what　happens；　she　is　unable



in　a　given　case　to　account　accurately　for　all　the　single　forces



at　work。　　Neither　an　outside　observer　nor　the　Subject　who



undergoes　the　process　can　explain　fully　how　particular



experiences　are　able　to　change　one's　centre　of　energy　so



decisively；　or　why　they　so　often　have　to　bide　their　hour　to　do



so。　　We　have　a　thought；　or　we　perform　an　act；　repeatedly；　but　on



a　certain　day　the　real　meaning　of　the　thought　peals　through　us



for　the　first　time；　or　the　act　has　suddenly　turned　into　a　moral



impossibility。　　All　we　know　is　that　there　are　dead　feelings；　dead



ideas；　and　cold　beliefs；　and　there　are　hot　and　live　ones；　and



when　one　grows　hot　and　alive　within　us；　everything　has　to



re…crystallize　about　it。　　We　may　say　that　the　heat　and　liveliness



mean　only　the　〃motor　efficacy；〃　long　deferred　but　now　operative；



of　the　idea；　but　such　talk　itself　is　only　circumlocution；　for



whence　the　sudden　motor　efficacy？　　And　our　explanations　then　get



so　vague　and　general　that　one　realizes　all　the　more　the　intense



individuality　of　the　whole　phenomenon。







In　the　end　we　fall　back　on　the　hackneyed　symbolism　of　a



mechanical