52 HABIT AND INTELLIGENCE. [cHAP. 



by resemblance, will probably be of opinion that I have 

 elaborately explained what is self-evident ; that the subject 

 itself may be understood without the slightest difficulty, 

 while there is some difficulty in following my explanation 

 of it. I reply, that, obvious as may be the whole subject 

 when formally stated, it is not self-evident, nor, I believe, 

 is it yet generally recognised, that all simple associations 

 are formed by contiguity, either in place or in time ; so 

 that association by resemblance is really a case of associa- 

 tion by contiguity. But I beKeve it is generally admitted 

 that these two — contiguity and resemblance — include all 

 cases whatever of simple association. 



I must here reply to a possible objection to my mode of 

 regarding all association as a case of the law of habit. It 

 is beyond question that many associations, and those the 

 most durable, are habitual ; for instance, that vast network 

 of associations between the sounds of words and their 

 meanings which constitutes the knowledge of one's own 

 language, has evidently been acquired by the habit of 

 hearing and speaking the language, from a time before the 

 earliest time that one can remember. But when we form 

 the association between a word and its meaning, not by 

 often hearing them conjoined but by a single mental act, 

 as we constantly do in learning a foreign language, it may 

 be argued that this is not a case of habit, but of a totally 

 different mental law. I believe, however, that this dif- 

 ference, important as it is, may be shown to be merely one 

 All asso- of degree. The law of habit is, that actions tend to repeat 

 de^*euds themselves. All habits no doubt strengthen with repe- 

 on habit, tition ; but if an action tends to repeat itseK without 

 having been repeated more than once, this is no less truly 

 a case of habit than if it became habitual after countless 

 repetitions. If, indeed, we knew the meaning of any 

 words without having learned them, this would no doubt 

 be a case of association wliich could not be traced to habit. 

 But it is safe to assert that no case of the kind exists. 

 In the chapter on the Laws of Habit,^ we have seen that 



1 Chapter XV. 



