ON CATAGENESIS. 427 



On the other hand, as consciousness is an attribute of matter, 

 it is of course subject to the laws of necessity to which matter 

 and energy conform. For instance, it can not cause two solid 

 bodies to occupy the same space at the same time, nor can it add 

 one body to one body and thus make three bodies. No more can 

 it make ten foot-pounds of energy out of five foot-pounds of 

 energy, and it can not abolish time more than it can annihilate 

 space. These are fundamental truths which are overlooked by a 

 majority of mankind. Moreover, nothing is more common than 

 to hear life or mind spoken of as though it of itself is a "sub- 

 stance," and not, as it should be, as an attribute or condition of 

 substance or matter. 



What is, then, the immediate action of consciousness in direct- 

 ing energy into one channel rather than another ? To take an 

 illustration : Why, from a purely mechanical point of view, is the 

 adductor muscle of the right side of the horse's tail contracted 

 to brush away the stinging fly from the right side of the horse's 

 body rather than the left adductor muscle ? Why was the con- 

 traction-provoking energy deflected into the right interspinal 

 motor nerves rather than into those of the left side ? Why is the 

 ear of the horse turned forward to catch tlie sound in front of 

 him and backward to gather the sound coming from behind ? 

 The first crude thought is, that consciousness supplies another 

 energy which turns aside the course of the energy required to 

 produce the muscular contraction ; either as the man with the 

 rein in his hand turns aside the horse's head, or as the shield he 

 holds deflects a moving body. But consciousness joer se, that is, 

 regarding it in its proper and distinctive definition, is not itself a 

 force (= energy). How, then, can it exercise energy ? Certainly 

 no more than the bare good-will of the train hands can pull the 

 train. Such an explanation is to admit the possibility of making 

 something out of nothing. 



III. THE EETROGKADE METAMORPHOSIS OF EXEEGY. 



The key to many weighty and mysterious phenomena lies in 

 the explanation of the so-called voluntary movements of animals. 

 I say "so-called," because true will is not at all involved in the 

 question. I mean the acts directed by consciousness, the acts 

 which would not take place at all if the animal were unconscious. 

 That there are many such acts you well know. The exi)lanation 

 can only be found in a simple acceptance of the fact as it is, in 



