CHAP. xxviii.J MIND. 13 



Sensation and consciousness are both feelings. To use 

 logical language, feeling is the genus of which sensation 

 and consciousness are species. All consciousness is con- 

 sciousness of feeling. It is possible to have a feeling 

 without being conscious of it, but it is not possible to 

 become conscious without having feeling to be conscious of 

 In order to simplify the subject, it is better instead of feeling 

 to speak of sensation, which is the simplest kind of feeling, 

 and that out of which all other kinds are developed. 



Consciousness, then, is primarily consciousness of sen- Conscious- 

 sation. Sensation comes before consciousness ; it is sensation 

 possible to have a sensation without being conscious of sensation 

 it. This is a truth within every one's experience, though '"'ittiout 



*' ^ ' o conscious- 



it is not a very familiar truth, because the absence of ness. 



consciousness is not likely to be noticed. It must often, 

 however, have occurred to every one suddenly to become 

 conscious of a sight that had been before his eyes, or of a 

 sound that had been in his ears for some time ; and to 

 remark, "I saw (or heard) this, but was not conscious of it." 

 But, what is still more conclusive than this, it is impos- 

 sible to doubt that in sound sleep there is no consciousness sleep. 

 of sensation; and yet when any one has become accustomed 

 to sleep in a loud monotonous noise, as for instance that 

 of a mill, it is well known that a sudden cessation of the 

 noise will put an end to sleep, just as its sudden com- 

 mencement would do. This proves that the sound must 

 have reached the sleeper's sensorium, or in other words 

 must have been heard, though his consciousness was, in 

 the most literal sense of the word, asleep to it. This is a 

 conclusive instance of the possibility of sensation without 

 the consciousness of it. 



We thus see that there may be sensation without con- 

 sciousness ; but there can be no consciousness without 

 sensation. Consciousness is first awakened by sensation, 

 and if it were not so awakened it would sleep for ever, or 

 in other words would never come into existence. We con- 

 sequently say that consciousness is developed out of sensa- Mental 

 tion ; the conscioiis or mental life is developed out of the j^J^^.*^^" 

 merely sentient life, as the sentient life is developed out 



