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The chief attraction of this classification to me is the fact 

 that it recognizes that phenomena are not the only thing in 

 the world worth studying. There are certain ambitions and 

 purposes and strivings and tendencies and will-acts which are 

 just as important and contribute largely to the most impor- 

 tant work of the world ; these as well as phenomena are legiti- 

 mate subjects of study; and this leads to the first great rift in 

 human knowledge. On one side phenomena and on the other 

 side purposes. 



Take for instance, a substance such as copper, stones 

 or stars, plants, animals, — these are all investigated with 

 respect to certain properties which are identical at all times. 

 The atomic weight of copper is 63. If we found it to be dif- 

 ferent from 63 we would conclude that the substance was not cop- 

 per or that it was impure copper. So we put in a certain group the 

 sciences which investigate phenomena common to every speci- 

 men and not dependent upon the peculiarities of the individual. 

 These sciences are called the physical sciences and include 

 such as Chemistry, Biology, Astronomy. But there is another 

 group of phenomena, peculiar to individuals — such, for instance, 

 as what is going on in your mind or my mind at this instant. 

 I am thinking how to say what I want to say most clearly 

 and in the shortest possible time ; and you are probably wonder- 

 ing at the slowness with which I am saying it. There is a set 

 of phenomena peculiar to every individual. These phenomena 

 are called mental. So then we have phenomena divided into 

 two great classes — those peculiar to individuals and those which 

 are over-individual. 



If we pass now to, the will-acts of humanity we find the 

 same distinction. There are certain will-acts, certain judg- 

 ments upon which all humanity agree. For instance, that two 

 and two make four is just as evident to the Hottentot as it is to 

 you and me. Such judgments as these are wider than any group 

 of individuals and are common to all sane human beings. We have 

 sanitariums all over the country for people who do not agree 

 that two and two make four. So the over-individual will-act 

 are the general phenomena of the sciences of purpose, and are 



