CONSCIOUS ORGANISMS 107 



of isolated states of consciousness which are 

 the mysterious accompaniments of certain 

 physical and chemical processes in the brain. 

 Such a theory is merely a combination of 

 obsolete philosophy with equally obsolete 

 physiology. Nor can a conscious organism 

 mean that the organism, or its brain, is the 

 4 seat ' of an independent and self-existent soul 

 or Ego, of which consciousness is the activity. 

 This theory involves the impossibilities which 

 Hume and Kant so clearly pointed out. Nor, 

 finally, is a conscious organism conscious 

 merely of its own organic activity. It is 

 certainly conscious generally of its, own or 

 ganic activity, though of the details of this 

 activity it is either totally unconscious, or only 

 dimly conscious. On the other hand, it is 

 also clearly conscious of an outside environ 

 ment distinguishable from its organic exist- 

 eTice, and tending to further or hinder it : also 

 of itself reacting in such a way as to control 

 this environment more or less successfully. 

 It is thus conscious both of itself as organism 

 and of what does not directly belong to its 

 organism an Ego and a non-Ego. Both of 

 these are inside its world, and somehow or 



