FREE WILL AND AUTOMATISM 285 



to perform because our nature is such that we look on 

 the results of such an act as desirable "} 



The latter part of this sentence seems to refute the 

 first, for if " our nature " is the mainspring of the action, 

 then what we have done z's performed " automatically " ; 

 though his expression : " Any act which we consciously 

 will " removes it from automatism. And he further 

 concludes : " The bondage of our wills, in every act 

 of willing, to the sole desire, or the strongest desire of 

 the moment is absolute, necessary, invariable. It admits 

 of exceptions no more than does the law of gravitation 

 itself." 2 



But there is no " bondage " in a conscious choice of 

 motives ; the bondage comes in when you have not the 

 power to choose and are unconsciously bound by the ex- 

 ternal and strongest motive; when your will is wanting 

 or too weak to protest ; and you allow yourself to be 

 an automaton, as the criminal described above. 



A hypnotised person when told to clap his hands 

 will go on doing it until the hypnotiser stops him. I 

 have witnessed this ; and the performer's attention being 

 elsewhere directed, the man fell exhausted under the 

 table but could not cease clapping his hands. He was 

 then an automaton, pure and simple. On the other 

 hand the hypnotiser, when his attention was drawn to 

 him, and was conscious of the possible harmful effect, 

 at once brought his volition to hear and un-hypnotised 

 the man. 



Mr. Mallock^ refers to a work by Dr. Ward, in which 

 that author says that desire is of two kinds. He calls 

 one " spontaneous impulse," the other he calls " resolve ". 

 These are only other phrases for " Automatism " and 



^O^. cif., pp. 96, 97. "^Op. cit., p. loi. ^Op. cit., p. 106. 



