THE RELATIONS OF PSYCHOLOGY 635 



this process from general laws of the interaction of mental ele- 

 ments. By pure deduction no results can here be arrived at. Re- 

 duction, not deduction, is what we can use. This is not only the 

 relation of psychology to the historical and ethical sciences, but 

 also to art to the art of education, to the fine arts, and to the 

 great art of ethical life. We cannot deduce pedagogics, esthetics, 

 and practical ethics from psychology. But we can observe the 

 spontaneous development of the art of education, of esthetic pro- 

 duction and of ethical life, and the ideals and points of view which 

 are revealed in this development may be understood by the help 

 of general psychological laws. And this is after all also the rela- 

 tion of psychology to the theory of knowledge and to the philo- 

 sophy of religion. It has to show the psychological possibility of 

 the forms of thought which are presupposed in scientific know- 

 ledge. And it has to analyze the mental experiences of religious 

 life. As to this last point I have expressed myself in the following 

 manner in my Philosophy of Religion: "In Religion men have 

 made some of their deepest and most intensive mental experiences. 

 If religion is genuine and original, all the elements of mental life 

 are at work in it with an energy and interplay not to be found in 

 any other domain. The study of religious life is therefore of great 

 importance to general psychology." Lastly, a reciprocal relation 

 will more and more establish itself here, so that the understand- 

 ing of mental elements and of the laws of their activity will be able 

 to guide and clear up the work in the special domains. Indeed 

 the history of these domains show that directly or indirectly such 

 an influence has always manifested itself. If psychology is to have 

 a future, this influence will be still more important than it has 

 hitherto been. Psychology stands in a great debt to its neighbor- 

 ing sciences, and to the different kinds of art. Let us hope that 

 it may be able to pay a part of the debt, though this debt ought 

 always to be contracted again, if psychology, as well as the other 

 sciences, is to progress! 



