Volume 1

In search of the soul and the mechanism of thought, emotion, and conduct ... / by Bernard Hollander.

  • Hollander, Bernard, 1864-1934.
Date:
[1920]
Catalogue details

Licence: In copyright

Credit: In search of the soul and the mechanism of thought, emotion, and conduct ... / by Bernard Hollander. Source: Wellcome Collection.

    17/536
    THE HISTORY OF PHILOSOPHY AND SCIENCE from ancient times to the end of the XVIIIth century SECTION I CONCEPTIONS OF THE UNIVERSE AND THE SOUL from pre-historic times to the beginning of Christianity CHAPTER I PREHISTORIC RELIGIONS The history of the study of the soul presents three aspects : the theological, the metaphysical, and the scientific ; but it must not be assumed that they were ever so distinct. Theology was often mixed with metaphysical speculations, metaphysics with either theology or science; and the scientific view was hardly ever altogether free from either theology or metaphysical speculation. Only the most ancient study of the soul was purely theological. With the advent of the Greek philosophers it became metaphysical. With the rise of Christianity theology again predominated, with a large admixture of metaphysical doctrine. It is only with the tremendous strides of science during the past three hundred years that the soul—and more particularly its attributes and activities and the mechanism of their manifestation— was studied more and more from a strictly scientific point of view, leaving theology and metaphysics to follow their own paths. In the course of recent years theological doctrines have been differently interpreted with the increase of knowledge, and metaphysical speculations gradually adapted to the results of scientific research, while it has had to be admitted that science, too, has its limitations. Pre-historic man imagined that in his dreams something left his body, and that this same something returned to his body before he awoke. He noticed that in his dreams he appeared often to be far away, or other people seemed to come to him, and since he knew by experience that his body never moved, his perfectly natural explanation was that it was something which inhabited his body—a spirit, a natural shadowy image of himself—which could go out and return again. This spirit he at first identified with the breath of the body, since the dead man no longer breathes. It was also natural that he should think that this spirit does not die with the body, but lives on after quitting it; for, although a man may be dead and. buried, his phantom-figure may continue to appear to the survivors in dreams and visions. This spiritual entity in time was regarded as the soul, dwelling in the body of Vol. i.] b