16 



the work that seems to need correction, arises chiefly from two 

 causes. First, the imperfection of physiological science at 

 the time at which it was written, and the much greater know- 

 ledge since acquired of the functions of our nervous organism 

 and their relations with the mental operations. Secondly, an 

 opening was made for some mistakes,' ' by a certain impatience 

 of detail on the part of the author. 1 



On Mill's showing, the elements of consciousness are gov- 

 erned by but one law, namely, the law of association. He 

 reduces experience to sensations, ideas, and associations of 

 ideas. ' 'With respect to the sensations, it is obvious enough 

 that they occur, according to the order established among 

 what we call objects of nature, whatever those objects are.' ' 5 

 ' 'Our ideas spring up, or exist, in the order in which the sensa- 

 tions existed, of which they are the copies. This is the general 

 law of association of ideas." 3 Imagination, memory, the 

 complex emotions, etc., are all the result of the association 

 process. 4 In the matter of morals, not only pleasure and pain, 

 but also the causes of pleasures and pains, become motives to 

 action through association. 5 



9. JOHN STUART MILL. 



The great significance of the theory of Association of Ideas 

 is nowhere more apparent than in the 'Logic' of John Stuart 

 Mill, and accordingly it may be wise to point out explicitly 

 from this work, some of the important conclusions which 

 were drawn from it. 



"The subject of psychology," according to J. S. Mill, "is 

 the uniformities of succession, the laws, whether ultimate or 

 derivative, according to which one mental state succeeds an- 

 other, is caused by, or at least is caused to follow another." 6 

 These laws are the laws of association. The most abstruse 

 phenomen^ of the mind, (for example, infinite time and space) 

 are formed of more simple and elementary phenomena by 

 means of association. Mill supplies us with three laws of 

 association. "Of these laws the first is, that similar ideas 

 tend to excite one another. The second is, that when two 

 impressions have been frequently experienced, (or even thought 

 of), either simultaneously or in immediate succession, then 



1 O.C. preface, pp. xviii-xix. 



*O.C. p. 71. 



O.C. p. 78. 



4 O.C. Chs. 12, 7, and 10, respectively. 



5 Vol. II, Chs. 17, 18, ff. 



6 J. S. Mill, "A System of Logic", 7th ed. 1868. Bk. VI, Ch. 4, 3. 



