THE PSYCHOLOGICAL FALLACIES OF DR. TUDOR JONES.

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 609, 11 September 1909, Page 10

THE PSYCHOLOGICAL FALLACIES OF DR. TUDOR JONES.

,\ ' j b l r ) - Cdme let us reason together." The Dr.i rudof: Jonesiseeks ■ toireduiie nil tho ;r ; Phenomena^ of ;modcrn . Spiritualism to.; mental ■■■ patmtoms, hallucinations, and delusions/- Ho : ; 5 tells ...US - our • knowledge,; fame'to' us t through W MS !'• aa d W«d in a.manneKiidt into ide«; A , ? that;V'(tHo.; souses -of; y mght, and.henmg especially had tho tendency finder .certain, circumstanccs,'.to, lead us astray Sr,ffoa»j.tho. normal"; ( that. "illusiofts i and 'hallu. thought-images,-and;might,becomo so vi S5J* .between . .and 1 reality," .'hence WfhSr-iZ i™ 1 } 2 S e / V( ! U3 'temperament", • l t ! l«kp?t M f#r;T«nouß ~kinds of e .BWrits,.igo|.whatever supernatural,: phenomena. and .hallul wdinations were ,;.formed." Moreover; :it iis as; next to nothing ft'r psychology, else they would ■,understands•«»" mras ot: fheir supposed fetor s argument Ji o w for my-reply. In ,j the first place, on the.above argument of know- ; tO . us - as: it: would Jsecirv only ; .\,through.thß. various'6ehses,. then .wo mights as theology-an.- ; philoso p hy,, all V.eUnCs; alliSpiritual'emotion;- and all'phases' of toijphhntoms i 'and'r delusions ;oMhe.bram,M do;an,materialistio'psyoholonormal is in keeping • c 1^ 3 • oPsychology,0Psychology, :then wemoy cro r tMtj'nfl ■thmfcs.; which:, are .to .finite intelligence 'and human .iiiß^son;.can;.- be : psychologically. • Explained • awhv •^Mi«OTW ;> UaMoi>fc- caused by a,clisturbahce'of 'environment, and V 'this"reasoning wo v , : ard.';.bnt -bundles.of'yai'ying States of mental Mi'there .is,>of , course,': no sueh snperiiormal 'orVmettiphysi- : ; M!i ilo immortal 'ego, no soul, ; and no hereafter! ' riinnS v S f i ?' ior f- on . e ? ® a y 8 ' : '' t lie'entire . rPUenomena of ghosts and ; visions, and tho illtiEions of hearing and, touch, arc to be explained moiiner ;aescnbed/*ry /: y. V . -• r/— a^»; s l uce > • ch- tho * same\ argument 5 s ir®' fal *h a ?d - devotion, ;.'nll .. human 1 a "\ lmvart) .:' yearnings :,uf ter ; God, ,and V'sml m^ P ?A enC °~ / Hls ■ r( ? al P«senc6 in the soul may, after, all, .bp only a psychological hal■;;lUcinatioii,of; a.disturbed and.disorderedibrain r, imaßining. I mental.'picturesiof, Wuth'which'Jiavtf VhWSteneef. or.-.absolute 'reality-iorresi " a great fallacy to sup- • pose.thrtt;knowle<lgo.is;6niy gamed thro'ughtho ; P^aical- senses . communicating /-.ideas to :tha i-biam..... in a manner not 'understood."- Tha ■;i™in>doe*.not,think, jt records; tho/idem of v. ttte rnWicl or. consciousness by meant of :tb« lan.' ;.??,???' impartedSthrough, the, observation, of • rjanp ,c6ntact,^mtli, external; phenomena, tut uei-0 there no leal entity apart; from «i por i. find knowledge, gained, there.-would .be no brain-recoids or memory o! that knowledeo the dinner,. ■ ..ego, '5 thi ■. s®." 1 -*Uich uses ihe.,brain 9 s,.iU;.iwstrument; for. the interpretation _ of eifcernal sensations,' 1 arid ; I®? 1 ."® 11 ' thereby, is lvhit con. :: i j ? ir' tlnnbntf-priEclplo .which wo call mind Tho mind, then,- Is biit 'the thoughtemanations and f the:,records >of 'knowledge and : :,ospeTOnM-_gained; outwardly,: and we: can onlv thinki.withm.the;limits of assooia'tion: of-ideas' in; the. .memory;. and by ■ further . observationii and study, so.that all we record on J=.the; brain'.is -tho-miiid: to: think a"9-loug-ros4tlie .• ihn'irliyiii'g ego',ifl'.,-pre-" i ; Bent-'in .fho, body to operate .upon: tiie -inentafapparatus. As soon as this inner'consciousnea

■ U a;biow-on tho head putting tho ■mental inatrumett., out oforder, or by dissoration called' death, then the mind does no mora thinking on ; tho earth-plane and the brain no mors recording. If wo only derivo knowledge' through the physical eonses, why should not a dead man think oa well as a living one if. his brain is not impaired? Accord,W 'Q -Dr. I'udor Jones's argument, a dead ' man 3 ;Vr al . n . °nght : to; record sensations and go on thinking as well as a living one. Why doesn t hop Surely it is because the Teal m *iV the' immortal ego, the" living entity has left Jns. human tenement and changed 'his, abode . to; another, ephero. Now again, since Dr. Tudor Jenes is a. min« 1» wist either reduce ail his j .philosophy, and. ethics to mere figments and fanoies of'the' brain, or. else accept the hypothesis that ; there is an immortal principle ■ within him which is the seat of consciousness arid the governor of the will. And if he be. Jieyes in an absolute reality of spiritual things corresponding to what we call faith, intuition; and conscience,: then, he cannot get away from ;the. fact':that it 'i^,the' soul ivithm which, operates upon the rtind-imaees retorded by the brain; just,as the ivords neard-from a gramophono record are not the voice of the speaker, so'the'recbrds >of the sensations on the brain and ■ its association of ideas which make up the human' mind are after nil, not the real operator,'iho. real thinker,' which -is tho inner, soul directing/ controlling, and organising all knowledge gained by external sensations and making them, intelligible.'to the human mind by the intuitions within.' ! The higher psychology shows us tho. higher reasoning, and we come to ceo th.it 'if ono mind can operate uponanother mind whilo' both aro in too. body, as in' cases of - hypnotism and telepathy; so one discarndte intelligence can uso . tho mental organism; of a person ih the. body, and control those .associations-of ideas so as to communicate' in the same mannfl: r.s anyone in normal conditions of life. It follows, then, that that.which isabnormal to human' experience is.not necessarily an illusion, .phantom, t>i hal- ■ lucination, but, a real fact of, normal understanding to anyone who is not'abnormally deluded ;by tho *. mental. hallucinations of proju. dice'and bigotry. . Thus the case for Spiritualism is to be'explained and defended by meansof the -very psychology whioh; is used to reduce. it all to disturbances of tho brain. I think .soino psychological brains want, a little disturbing and dusting before they can understand "the laws of psychology"'and ."the way out to sanity."—! am,-etc., •• • • . ', J. B. MOKTON BARNES. {September G.■ ' . ' IV.. ■ •