xcviii Journal of Comparative Neurology. 



lower form, I am directed to search and see if feeling plays the same role 

 in the new born human babe. 



It must ever be borne in mind that Darwinism is of no service what- 

 soever in solving metaphysical problems. What is the nature of the 

 soul? Is it material or spiritual ? monistic or dualistic? All these are 

 questions in which psychology, as a natural science, must not dabble. 



There is one difference between the morpho-physiological and the 

 psychical evolution. In the former almost all the parallels between the 

 ontogenetic and the phylogenetic development have been passed by the 

 time of birth. In the psychical development it takes a much longer time 

 to accomplish this. 



What is Feeling? The definitious of feelings areas varied as they 

 are numerous. 



• Aristotle says that feelings are dependant upon thought. As sensa- 

 tion has been likened to simple thought so the feeling of pleasure and 

 pain is compared to affirmation and negation. Feeling is subordinate to 

 desire. Thus speaks Aristotle. How could he have formed a different 

 opinion? He had studied only the highly differentiated feelings — the so- 

 called spiritual feelings. Here feeling easily appears to be a mere appen- 

 dix to the presentation activities, for here feeling is based upon thought. 

 But Aristotle was mistaken, he was traveling the wrong path. Yet many 

 thinkers have followed in his footsteps. 



At a middle point in the evolution of psychology, the Cognition 

 Theory, with Descartes at its head, entered the world. This theory 

 is permeated with metaphysical suppositions. Remove the metaphysical 

 subtleties and the riddled structure crumbles into dust. Descartes inves- 

 tigated the question as to the certainty of our cognitions. All psychical 

 activities are subordinated to the presentation activities. According to 

 him, we have three kinds of perceptions : ist, such as have their origin 

 in the external world ; 2d, such as have their origin in the body ; 3d, 

 such as have their origin in the mind. The first class are the sense per- 

 ceptions, the second class are the bodily feelings ; the third class are the 

 spiritual feelings. 



Spinoza defines feelings as \\\(t passio air/iiiae, whereby the mind does 

 not attain either its highest or its lowest perfection. He deals with the 

 higher feelings only. With Spinoza, joy, sadness, and desire are primi- 

 tive feelings. 



