426 .ESTHETICS 



The strong hold which this theory has in many minds has its value, 

 however, in the emphasis of the fact that {esthetic creation is due 

 to impulses which are born of innate instincts expressing them- 

 selves in the production of works of beauty. And if this be so, we see 

 how true it must be that each of us must have in him some measure 

 of this instinct; and that the appearance of its appropriate impulses 

 should not mislead us, and induce us to devote our lives to the 

 worship of the Muses, unless we become convinced that no other work 

 can adequately express the best that is in us. 



But the true artist is not troubled by such questionings. He finds 

 himself carried away by what is a true passion; by what is instinct- 

 ive and not ratiocinative. 



The fact that the artist is thus impelled by what may well be called 

 the " art instinct " is one he could only have learned from the psy- 

 chologist, or when in introspective mood he became a psychologist 

 himself; and it carries with it corollaries of great value, which the 

 psychologist alone can elucidate. 



It teaches the artist, for instance, that his success must be deter- 

 mined by the measure of this instinct that is developed within him; 

 that he must allow himself to be led by this instinct; that his best 

 work will be his "spontaneous" work. This, of course, is very far 

 from saying that he cannot gain by training; but it does mean that 

 he must learn to treat this training as his tool; that he must riot 

 trust overmuch to his ratiocinative work, the result of which must 

 be assimilated by, and become part of, his impulsive nature, if he is 

 to be a master. 



An artist is one in whom is highly developed the instinct which 

 leads him to create objects that arouse the sense of beauty. The 

 expression of this instinct marks his appropriate functioning. He 

 may incidentally do many useful things, and produce results apart 

 from his special aptitude; but as an artist his work is solely and 

 completely bound up in the production of works of beauty. 



We naturally ask here what may be the function in life of the 

 expressions of such an instinct as we have been studying, and this 

 leads us to consider a point of more than psychological interest, 

 and turns our thought to our second division. 



II. The Relation of Esthetics to Philosophy 



For while the science of psychology must guide, it can never dom- 

 inate the thought of the philosopher who strives to gain a broad view 

 of the world of experience; and, as will appear below, the aesthetician 

 calls upon the philosopher for aid which the psychologist as such 

 cannot give. 



