From the Unconscious to the Conscious 



In a word, this truly far-reaching induction puts a 

 question more far-reaching still. We are imperatively 

 led to ask ourselves whether the whole classical psycho- 

 physiology is not a mere monument of errors ? 



From this point forward it becomes a duty to 

 reconsider all its teaching, and above all to examine by 

 the light of facts the main dogma on which the whole 

 structure is founded, the dogma of psycho-physiological 

 parallelism. 



It is important to investigate this parallelism wherever 

 it is affirmed to exist, and verify whether it can be 

 adapted to the subconscious facts. 



3. ABSENCE OF PARALLELISM BETWEEN THE SUBCON- 

 SCIOUS ON THE ONE HAND, AND THE STATE OF 

 DEVELOPMENT OF THE BRAIN, HEREDITY, AND 

 SENSORIAL AND INTELLECTUAL ACQUIREMENT ON 

 THE OTHER HAND 



To begin with, we are taught that psychic develop- 

 ment accompanies quite regularly the development of 

 the brain, and is proportional to that development 

 during childhood and up to maturity. 



But subconscious psychism has, among its other 

 characteristics, that of appearing, often in all its 

 force, long before the complete development of the 

 brain. 



Without here speaking of the supernormal sub- 

 consciousness, which is more frequent in children than 

 in adults, the precocious manifestation of genius, 

 especially in art, is a commonplace, and it is needles? 

 to cite instances of what is so well known. This emer- 

 gence of genius in advance of the complete development 

 of the brain is one fact at issue with the theory of psycho- 

 physiological parallelism. Another point, still more 

 important, is that psychic development, as far as it 



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