OF THE SOUL. 213 



measurable quantities, time, space, and velocity. It be- 

 came quite clear in the course of the controversies carried 

 on between the years 1840 and 1870, that the familiar 

 term matter was not clearly definable, and that the word 

 force was used to denote two entirely different con- 

 ceptions. It was therefore unfortunate that in dealing 

 with psychological questions, with things pertaining to 

 the soul, two conceptions were placed at the head of the 

 new doctrine which could not stand the test of rigorous 

 definition.^ The second error committed by the new 

 school of thought was this, that in spite of all criticism 

 which they rightly levelled against the vagueness of 

 the older philosophy, they did not really break with 

 the metaphysical method and resort to that method 

 suggested by Beneke and to some extent by Herbart, 

 the empirical method of introspection, but simply con- 

 tinued, on a lower plane, the same sort of abstract 

 and a 'priori reasoning which they condemned in their 

 opponents. By the time that this inherent defect of 

 both idealism and materialism was recognised, another 

 way had been opened by which access could be gained 

 to the phenomena of the inner world : this was the 

 method that studied them in their concomitant, physical 

 and physiological manifestations. As I showed in former 

 chapters,^ the phenomena of consciousness began to be 

 studied from the physiological side. 



In the meantime, and only slightly influenced by 

 German metaphysics, the introspective mode of dealing 



^ For a further discussion of the 

 value of the fundamental notions 

 of physical science for philosophical 

 purposes, see chapter vi., infra, 



which deals with the philosophical 

 problem of nature. 



"^ See chapter xi., vol. ii. of this 

 History. 



