Am I niggardly in thus confining the action of each of us within his
own body? Is the range of volition thus marked out too narrow? On the
contrary, it is probably still too wide. We are as powerless to direct
our bodies as we are to manage affairs in China. This, at least, is
the modern psychological doctrine of effort. It is now believed that
volition is entirely a mental affair, and is confined to the single
act of attention. It is alleged that when I attend to an ideal, fixing
my mind fully upon it, the results are altogether similar to what
occurred on my touching the button. Every idea tends to pass
automatically into action through agencies about which I know as
little as I do about ocean telegraphs. This physical frame of mine is
a curious organic mechanism, in which reflex actions and instincts do
their blind work at a hint from me. I am said to raise my arm. But
never having been a student of anatomy and physiology, I have not the
least idea how the rise was effected; and if I am told that nerves
excite muscles, and these in turn contract like cords and pull the arm
this way or that, the rise will not be accomplished a bit better for
the information. For, as in electric transmission, it is not I who do
the work. My part is attention. The rest is adapted automatism.
Pages:
69
70
71
72
73
74
75
76
77
78
79
80
81
82
83
84
85
86
87
88
89
90
91
92
93