620 PSYCHOLOGY 



was negatived and outlawed. Hobbes must yield to Locke, Comte 

 to Mill and Spencer; and only after these latter could Bagehot, 

 and Stephen, and Tarde arise, if, indeed, the renewed collectivism 

 was to have a psychological foundation worthy of the name. And 

 it is equally true that it is only as we work out the genetic processes 

 whereby the reflective social self of the individual justifies its right 

 to succeed the individualistic, that we can expect to see how society 

 can rationally hope to reconstitute itself as more than a group of 

 competing individuals. For having begun this work later, psycho- 

 logy, notably in France and America, deserves praise. But it can 

 succeed only as it maintains both the naturalistic spirit and the 

 positivistic method of Comte. 



German Positivism; Experimental Psychology. The establishing 

 of laboratory psychology is usually and rightly accredited to the 

 Germans; but it is not so usually seen that this work does not involve 

 a new point of view. On the contrary, it is the culmination of the 

 positivistic movement sketched above. It not only admits the place 

 of mind as a part of nature, but it suggests the employment of the 

 methods of physical and physiological science. It arose in Fechner's 

 attempt to discover the law of connection between psychic and 

 bodily events. Such a law once made out, research would be guided 

 and also controlled by its recognition. 



Apart from the fact that the attempt failed, so far as Fechner's 

 investigation was concerned, the importance of the conception 

 cannot be questioned. A later formula that of psycho-physical 

 parallelism is indeed truer to the ideal of a working positivism, 

 just from its negative and colorless character. But ignoring points 

 of controversy, we may still say that many fruitful researches have 

 been carried out in this field; and disabusing ourselves of too great 

 optimism, we may still count laboratory work as a part of the heri- 

 tage bequeathed to the twentieth century. No doubt we are to see 

 fruitful formulations under the rule of which great discoveries are 

 yet to be made. Together with the actual founder, Fechner, we 

 should name Lotze as also a pioneer in experimental psychology, 

 and Wundt as an effective builder upon their foundations. Other 

 great names in this connection are those of Weber and Helmholtz. 



VI. Prospects 



In conclusion, it may be deemed proper to set forth the prob- 

 able lines of development of psychological inquiry in the opening 

 century. 



In the first place, it is clear that both naturalism and positiv- 

 ism spirit and method are to survive in psychology, as in 

 science generally. And for the reading of their future develop- 



