284 Hermann Lotze and the Mecha^iical Philosophy 



seems to be regarded as something which, while itself one and 

 indivisible, fastens together a plurality of hitherto unrelated 

 parts by very much the same folds and knots as a cord.' 



As to the necessary unity implied by consciousness, and 

 shown to exist by states of consciousness, he observes : ^ ' This 

 beUef in the soul's unity rests not on our appearing to our- 

 selves such a unity, but on our being able to appear to our- 

 selves at all! ' All the operations of a joint plurality either 

 remain a plurality of separate operations, or become truly 

 fused into one, only when transferred to the unity of a being 

 as its states. Of consciousness we can say that, as the energy- 

 of an indivisible being, it does render possible the composi- 

 tion of the many with the one, but that the unity of con- 

 sciousness never can spring solely from the mutual action ol 

 the many.' ^ ' That most peculiar bond of the multitudinous, 

 the active element that, passing from one to another, leaves 

 both in existence, while it is aware of the kind and direction 

 of its transition, cannot itself be multitudinous.' ^ 



Some of Lotze's remarks concerning memory are very 

 noteworthy. He reminds us * that an act of memory ' not 

 only recalls what has been forgotten, but at the same time 

 brings about a consciousness of its identity with the new 

 impression. Hence old and new must not wholly coincide 

 but must be recognised as two different recurrences of the 

 same idea.' He argues ^ that memory is more than a faint 

 revival of groups of past sensations, inasmuch as memory 

 'while it faithfully repeats the contents of previous sensa- 

 tions as regards their character and intensity, does not repeat 

 the disturbance which we underwent from them ' ; for there 

 is no difference, for example, between our recollections oi 

 the loudest clap of thunder and the softest musical tone 

 before experienced, at all comparable with the difference 



1 Vol. i. p. 157. - Ihid., p. 161. ^ m^i^^ p ^m. 



* Ibid., p. 215. -^ Ibid., p. 205. 



