256 CONSCIOUSNESS AND EXPERIENCE 



those proclaiming the root to be the rudimentary 

 and essential structure, and those asserting that 

 since the function of seed-bearing is the main thing, 

 the flower is really the controlling &quot; synthetic &quot; 

 principle. Both sensationalist and intellectualist 

 suppose that psychology has some special sphere 

 of &quot; reality &quot; or of experience marked off for it 

 within which the data are just lying around, self- 

 existent and ready-made, to be picked up and 

 assorted as pebbles await the visitor on the beach. 

 Both alike fail to recognize that the psychologist 

 first has experience to deal with; the same experi 

 ence that the zoologist, geologist, chemist, mathe 

 matician, and historian deal with, and that what 

 characterizes his specialty is not some data or ex 

 istences which he may call uniquely his own ; but 

 the problem raised the problem of the course of 

 the acts that constitute experiencing. 



Here psychology gets its revenge upon those who 

 would rule it out of possession of important philo 

 sophical bearing. As a matter of fact, the larger 

 part of the questions that are being discussed in 

 current epistemology and what is termed meta- 

 physic of logic and ethic arise out of (and are 

 hopelessly compromised by) this original assump 

 tion of &quot; consciousness as such &quot; in other words, 

 are provoked by the exact reason that is given 

 for denying to psychology any essential meaning 

 for epistemology and metaphysic. Such is the 



