x Automatism removes no difficulty. 199 



muscles of the hand. If I know anything about this, 

 I have learned it from anatomists and physiologists. 

 But in purely mental action, all the links in the chain 

 of causation are within Consciousness. When will 

 determines thought, or when thoughts or feelings 

 determine each other, or when either of these deter- 

 mines will, the relation between the cause and the 

 effect is directly affirmed by Consciousness. All other 

 knowledge of causation is inferential, but this is 

 a direct and immediate intuition. Here is what 

 appears to be absolutely conclusive evidence of the 

 independent action of Mind ; though, of course, it 

 tells nothing directly of the action of Mind on 

 matter. 



After all, the automatic theory, even were it 

 proved to demonstration, would clear up no difficulty. 

 Matter acts on Consciousness when we feel, see, or 

 hear anything : this is denied by none, although no 

 science can ever explain how it is possible. Automa- 

 tism leaves this question untouched ; and the mystery 

 is not deepened if the converse is also true ; if it is 

 true, as men instinctively believe, that Consciousness, 

 in the form of Will, is able to act on matter through 

 muscular motion. 



It appears to be generally believed that Auto- 

 matism is fundamentally identical with the older 

 Necessarianism, and differs from it only in being 

 strengthened by a powerful argument drawn from 

 physical science. Professor Huxley, in his well- 

 known address on Automatism, appeared to describe 



