Carus, Physiological Condition of Coiiscioiisncss. 131 



or not my definition be acceptable need not concern us here, for 

 we do not quarrel about words. Suffice it to say that it seemed 

 to me desirable to state the difference between consciousness 

 and intelHgence or mentation, the former being the state of 

 awareness in feehng, sentiency, or knowledge of self existence, 

 while the latter is the psychical equivalent of cerebration or the 

 interaction of memory-images which may remain unconscious 

 and often becomes conscious only in parts or in its results alone. 

 Unconscious mentation is not a mere physiological process ; it 

 is also a psychical factor, for if it were psychically a nonentity 

 how could it have any psychical effects ? How could we, for 

 instance, have a "summation of irritations" {Swnuiation dcr 

 Reize ?^ There is a rich subconscious psychical life and there 

 are some subconscious feelings, thoughts, and sentiments which 

 are never brought into the realm of consciousness, in other 

 words, which remain utterly unconscious. 



In reply to the second point, I grant the probability that 

 no special organ of co-ordination may be needed for a dynam- 

 ical theory of consciousness. The co-ordination of feelings, it is 

 quite true, constitutes the fact of consciousness and their co-or- 

 dination may not be specialized in one and the same place. 

 Here I have to say that I do not think that consciousness has 

 its seat in any local centre which would remain conscious even 

 though the rest of the organism were removed. The term 

 "seat of consciousness " is apparently misleading, and I almost 

 regret having used it, I feel inclined to avoid it henceforth. 

 By " seat of consciousness " I understood merely that organ 

 by which through some kind of mechanical arrangement the 

 connections between the memory-images are established so as to 

 produce by their interaction the condition of consciousness. 



If we compare the sense-organs to the receiver, or ear 

 piece, in the telephone, the wires to the nerves, and the muscles 

 to the recipient or mouth piece at the other end, the seat of 

 consciousness so-called must be looked for in the central office 

 where the connexions are made. All similes have their draw- 

 backs, and it is understood that this comparison is correct only 

 as a rough analogy of the main process of transmission. There 



