PHYSIOLOGICAL PSYCHOLOGY 227 



its present systematic form and its definite place in the fellowship of 

 the special sciences. For these reasons, his influence and methods have 

 penetrated everywhere. 



A bare list of his principal works suffices to exhibit the range and 

 force of his tireless activity : " Beitrage zur Lehre von den Muskel- 

 bewegungen," 1858; "Beitrage zur Theorie der Sinneswahrnemung," 

 1859-62 ; " Vorlesungen iiber die Menschen- und Thierseele," 1863, 2d 

 ed., 1892 (Eng. trans.) ; " Grundztige der physiologischen Psychologie," 

 1874, 5th ed., 1902 (Eng. trans.); " Ueber die Aufgaben der Phi- 

 losophic in der Gegenwart," 1874 ; " Ueber den Einfluss der Philosophic 

 auf die Erfahrungswissenschaften," 1876 ; " Logik," 1880-83 ; " Ethik," 

 1886, 2d ed., 1892 (Eng. trans.); "System der Philosophie," 1889; 

 " Grundriss der Psychologie," 1898 (Eng. trans.); " Volkerpsy- 

 chologie," 1900-06; and many contributions of first-rate importance 

 to Philosopliische Studien, the organ of his laboratory and philosophical 

 circle, since 1881, the first year of its publication. When we remember 

 that four of these books are masterpieces, and that one of them is 

 the recognized classic in its subject, some idea of Wundt's importance 

 emerges. 



Seizing the opportunity incident to his historical position, Wundt 

 aimed to relieve psychology from the reproach of being merely an 

 instance of more or less loose descriptive classification. He proposed 

 to lift it to the level of scientific explanation. By what means ? 



It is experiment that has been the source of the decided advance in natural 

 science, and brought about such revolutions in our scientific views. Let us now 

 apply experiment to the science of mind. We must remember that in eveiy de- 

 partment of investigation the experimental method takes on a special form, 

 according to the nature of the facts investigated. We can not experiment upon 

 mind itself, but only upon its outworks, the organs of sense and movement 

 which are functionally related to mental processes. So that every psychological 

 experiment is at the same time physiological, just as there are physical sciences 

 corresponding to the mental processes of sensation, idea and will. This, of 

 course, is no reason for denying to experiment the character of a psychological 

 method. It is simply due to the general conditions of our mental life, one 

 aspect of which is its constant connection with the body. 3 



Or, again : 



Psychology is compelled to make use of objective changes in order, by 

 means of the influence which they exert on our consciousness, to establish the 

 subjective properties and laws of that consciousness.* 



Or, once more : 



Physiological psychology is, therefore, first of all psychology. It has in 

 view the same principal object upon which all other forms of psychological 

 investigation are directed: the investigation of conscious processes in the modes 



3 " Human and Animal Psychology," p. 10 (Eng. trans.). 



4 Philos. Studien, I., p. 4. 



