THE BIGHT WAY IX PSYCHOLOGY. 



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self in order that we may achieve our ends and fulfil our duties. 

 For this purpose, what kind of knowledge is most urgently 

 needed ? Plainly, the first need is to know what are the right 

 ■<'iids, that we may choose these ; and inasmuch as ends are often 

 conflicting, we need to know the order of their importance, and 

 whether there is one supreme end which can curb the lower 

 -desires, and bring each of our various purposes into its right 

 relation to the rest. I would call this branch of psychology, 

 .human teleology. This is usually omitted from psychologies, I 

 suppose, because it is dealt with by ethics and religion. I 

 ■cannot think that the omission is justifiable. It is like the 

 tragedy of Hamlet, with Hamlet cut out. Moreover, ethics and 

 religion would gain by being put in their rightful place. At 

 present, many people regard these as optional subjects, inferior 

 m value and in certainty to physical science. When human 

 .teleology is recognised as an indispensable part of the scientific 

 .study of human nature, these errors will be dispelled. 



13. Epistemology. — After the study of ends the study of 

 means, and the first of these is knowledge. Indeed, so 

 universally necessary and of such fundamental importance is 

 this means, that to some epistemology has been the first task 

 of psychology, if not its only task. Locke and Hume are 

 instances of this. So great is human interest in knowledge 

 that, although this interest is at first, and even at all times, 

 chiefly for the sake of other things, knowledge becomes also 

 an end in itself, pursued for its own sake. And from this the 

 next step is to give the primacy to knowledge, exalting it to 

 the highest rank in dignity and in pow T er. It cannot then be 

 questioned that in any serious attempt to understand ourselves 

 -we must undertake the usually neglected task of trying to 

 .ascertain the nature and value of that thinking which we call 

 Jcnowing or believing. 



14. Three Grades of Thinking. — After epistemology what 

 .should be the next chapter in our study ? At this point 1 stop — 

 declining the attempt to forecast any further step. The purpose 

 with which we set out was to discover, if possible, the right 

 way in psychology. If we are satisfied that we have succeeded 

 it is enough. Actually to work out the psychology would be a 

 great enterprise ; and only in its execution could we ascertain 

 how far it will lead us. That we should achieve a perfect 

 understanding of ourselves is beyond reasonable expectation. 

 The study of the human self is evidently an immense under- 

 taking. Already we have seen that it includes teleology and 

 epistemology, ethics and religion ; and to these, history, law, 



