viii PRACTICAL JUDGMENT 163 



conation from mechanism on the ground that the conative / 

 state is in some way determined by its relation to the/ 

 state that comes out of it. It is not till we come to the' 

 level of purpose that the full meaning of this distinction 

 becomes clear. A purposive act or state is a cause of 

 events like other states of the organism, but it is a cause 

 which knows itself, that appreciates its own tendency, 

 direction, and probable effects. This knowledge is more- 

 over essential to its operation and guides it. Every act 

 which the purposive state of mind dictates is done because 

 of its causal relation to the final result. Indeed, the bare 

 existence of the purposive state itself is conditioned by 

 the foresight directing the impulse which it contains. It 

 is thus dependent for its being on its own tendency 

 to bring other things about. We may then define* ^4 

 purpose as a state which determines acts in accordance', 

 with the results which they tend to produce. This it 

 effects in the human being through the medium of 

 anticipatory ideas, and we have to ask how far and with 

 what modifications the definition will apply to types 

 of conation from which ideas are excluded. Of these we 

 have seen two. Nearest to purpose stands sensori-motor / 

 action, in which response is determined by the needs of the/ 

 occasion in relation to the complexity and varying move-' 

 ments of unique surroundings. In leaping to catch a 

 ball the act certainly seems to be determined by what is 

 coming out of it, but if we resolutely exclude anticipatory 

 ideas we are denying that direct reference to the future 

 which such determination implies. If the response is 

 truly and exclusively sensory, we must suppose the state 

 of excitement to be one which favours and maintains 

 approach to the ball and suppresses adverse movements, 

 while in so doing it adapts itself continually to the 

 changing relations of the ball and the player. More 

 generally, in successful sensori-motor response that selec- 

 tion of type movements which in fact favours the 

 result will be maintained. If this is so the acts 

 will be determined by relation to their results but 

 indirectly, and this will be the point of distinction from 

 true purpose. 



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