The Mind and the Brain

International Scientific Series.

Volume LXXXIX.

(The International Scientific Series)

Edited by F. Legge

THE MIND AND THE BRAIN

by

ALFRED BINET

Directeur du Laboratoire de Psychologie
a la Sorbonne

Being the Authorised Translation of

_L'Ame et le Corps_







London
Kegan Paul, Trench, Truebner & Co. Ltd
Dryden House, Gerrard Street, W.
1907



CONTENTS


BOOK I

THE DEFINITION OF MATTER


CHAPTER I

INTRODUCTION

The distinction between mind and matter--Knowable not
homogeneous--Criterion employed, enumeration not concepts


CHAPTER II

OUR KNOWLEDGE OF EXTERNAL OBJECTS ONLY SENSATION

Modern theories of matter--Outer world only known to us by our
sensations--Instances--Mill's approval of proposition, and its
defects--Nervous system only intermediary between self and outer
world--The great X of Matter--Nervous system does not give us true
image--Mueller's law of specificity of the nerves--The nervous system
itself a sensation--Relations of sensation with the unknowable the
affair of metaphysics


CHAPTER III

THE MECHANICAL THEORIES OF MATTER ARE ONLY SYMBOLS

Physicists vainly endeavour to reduce the role of
sensation--Mathematical, energetical, and mechanical theories of
universe--Mechanical model formed from sensation--Instance of
tuning-fork--No one sensation any right to hegemony over others


CHAPTER IV

ANSWERS TO SOME OBJECTIONS, AND SUMMARY

Objections of spiritualists--Of German authors who contend that
nervous system does give true image--Of metaphysicians--Common ground
of objection that nervous system not intermediary--Answer to
this--Summary of preceding chapters


BOOK II

THE DEFINITION OF MIND


CHAPTER I

THE DISTINCTION BETWEEN COGNITION AND ITS OBJECT

Necessity for inventory of mental phenomena--Objects of cognition and
acts of cognition--Definition of consciousness


CHAPTER II

DEFINITION OF SENSATION