French Nal'ioiial Institute. 185 



be occasioned by sensations or recollections of sensations ; 

 in a word, by images : but it is not necessary that a sensa- 

 tion should be an outward one; because every external sensa- 

 tion nquires internal niovtnients of the nerves and brain, 

 without which it would not have taken place. Now these in- 

 ternal njovcniciits may arise in the organs themselves, with- 

 out any external excitement; arvd thus it often happens in 

 dreaming, ami in dlflercnt diseases : there is nothing, there^ 

 fore, lo prevent certain animals fiom being organized in such 

 a manner that there are constantly in them niterior move- 

 ments proper for producu'ig sensations, images, and so that 

 these images determine imperatively their volition to certain 

 actions. 



This hypotl^esis seems to have nothing in common with 

 that of innate ideas, which has for its object merely general 

 or abstract ideas; because those who deny, with reason, that 

 the general ideas of mankind are innate, hive never asserted 

 that man can have aensations in virtue of internal move- 

 ments of bis proper bodv, and without the intervention of 

 external bodies; the experience of every day would have 

 given the lie to their assertion. 



Nor does tliis hypothesis seem to have any thing in com- 

 mon with that of materialism i for, whatever idea we form 

 of the intimate nature of the thinking principle, we are al- 

 ways oblifiicd to allow that it only experiences sensations by 

 the intermedium of the brain and the nervous system. 



In the last place, it has nothing wiiich connects it more 

 than another with the doctrine of fatalism ; for, everv action 

 being determined either by an actual sensation or bv the 

 rememijrance of a past sensation, or, lastly, by the fear or 

 hope of a future sensation, — let these sensations be internal 

 or external, the state of the (juestion is not changed. 



It seems to be, however, from the fear of falling into 

 any of these labyrinths, thai M. JDiipout has indiscri- 

 minaleiy rejected every kind of initinct wliatever. 



He begins by showing that the aetions of animals of 

 superior orders, such as quadrupeds and birds, result from 

 the combination of their experience and their iihysieal ik'- 

 <:ulties : but lie might iiavc saved himself this trouble ; all 



nalui'alisis 



