THE SIXTH LECTURE.

Dominion, Volume 7, Issue 2007, 14 March 1914, Page 9

THE SIXTH LECTURE.

SCIENCE AND OQMMON SENSE. A LGOICAL I'AKGtE, Sir. Dalfoitr delivered the si-jrtli of tlie scries of Gitford Lectures on January ■23. Speaking as usual item a few u&tes on tiio back of sn ei-ivotopej he jmrformod tiro feat, of making clear his views en the external world. Hα urade no refereftefe to tho disputes of ear; flitting philosophical systems, aft-d gave only slight indications that ho Wiis trc.tdi.iij; on tho perpetual battleground of philosepbers. His point Of view was that uf cointaoM. se-irse- and of science.

The lecturer applied to the scientific -vie* of. tiro external world his distiile* ; tjo.n between tlie causal swies involvect in bi?lie:f awcl ih.o ratianaJ> or, as ho ■ to-day prefGWcd to call it, tte? cftsittitivo, a series having relation to knowledge What, ho asl;ed, is the eomroMi'seiise view of tho «stemgl »vorid? It wo-idd be genej-aHy adniit- ■ ted thai common sgbso never -eons-idcis ; that external objects, fiioces of matter, ■the solid globe, tlie heavens ijiove, are mental states, and that it thinks ■ of them _4i!> indcpaiide-nt ei' the person who ■ Deceives bheivi. These objects aifcot us i U'lioii Wβ percL'ivo them and ivo do not affect tliew ty perceiving them. Pvirther, lw thought—but of this ha was not so certain—that when wo look at a i»a- . terial object we <fe not- thbk thai its reality is exhausted by the aspects of it that We perceive. He sminiled up by Saying that, accofdins to ■ common sense, tiis «ogttitiy© series, wlijdi is.o.ur belief in external things is u, direct and im&ediatc perception of ol)j(3ct3 thoinsalves, and he proceeded to mafeetho point on which his whole 'depended; the .foundation of Science, This siwrjle and direct perception .oP extenial ohjects is the foisiicfotioM uJjoii which tho whole saperstrueture •■ of science is built tip, beeatiso the jrliysi-. , oist aiid the pJiys-Mogjst look oii.tJib , materials of 'their researches "esatitly us yen and I look upon chairs and .tabl(B."_ The causal series which combines with the cognitive scries to .pi-o-duco tie belief in tho esteriial world is the business of sokneej alid ihere is netiwng immeiiate or simplo^oi l -. directaisout it. It is a very ftlaboi'ato.p-o-cessj not yet thoi'OfHghl.y utdc.rS.fapd, Hero Mr. Halfoni' tudicated tf e vAr.io.us kittds of knowlctlgo required-.''io ..give a causal explanation of ou.r-.-perception of tho sun, astJ-tmoitij-j.. sojar .physios, Qptics physiotegy/and.sq forth, WJieu . all those elabcuiit-e tvp.r.e qompleted, one arrives at the ilite'slibid ■ ■of tho miud, only to .!)? cofifantod with tho clwsm betwor-it. bj-jjjii iiud miu.d. —a chasm not vet,Widge,d ovei;.. .Qn.e■must a-ko l-ceollect- that our ■percen'titjns of an object are p.rofoun«Jly .inodihod' ! u'y ■ associations, memories, ■au.d...<fthe : r .ps.y'chalagical cou-sMeratimis.. tik tob'k'"fto '■ analogy of a .message seal; by. 'letter; post from one town, to another ts ilhs-. tnfte hew many processes hatl to be '. eom-pjrted befor.o ■» raessage,: startin<>. Win reality, couM reach jiviwl.- ~ .".. Havfeg thus described the ■•- contrast betwsen the -causal series aii.d. t-lje cag-w-tive scries in otir belief in the ester-: Dal worid, Mγ. Balfov-r pointod <tut that the distinction which morfenv scieivce draws betocßit lnatfar aiidthe percefv--mg nwiid is q. distinotion ilot Ruid'amentally.dilteßnt froai. tlie old dist-infi- ; tfo:n hetweeii primai'y and seconda-rv-qualities of matter. That distiuctioi has been carried farther by science, which teaches-that reality is" Md feo-m' «e temwl the tcrero of Its «)W:u o.f--Mots. We cannot perceive an oleotrou, otliei', or the retii-ial imago in our own relma. Science can never be ■ - «mteii£ : ,M\ J|«g*its -to fire unjjeiEßivaMe, and ji! teorid, as soreiioe pietwrcs it. is uioro aiid inorQ remote from the real world as. we perceive it or are capable of pereeiviflg it. It f .soron.eo that insists on the separation letweeii oar seftsations and inceptions aiid the aut»side causes pifldftcing them. St'totco then, js.in a logfciii tangle, TjjQ lectiircr p.oiatett out, again, t-Jiai what the scientist sees is the'com-ifteiii--Sense peroeptioti of the plain man, Wt what isaettially tlier-e is soroetjiing quite ai-ffare-nt. The fiesitioft of sefenee h sornetonK feke thai at' Loeke, who has ken jeS'tly <M-.i-ti,o.ised for developing a ttaary or tlie external world which never gives direct atees& to that wo-rjd hut airly -t-.o fiensflfaows and feftltogs produced by it. Mem Mr. BaMour again insisted "ilistt £-dieiice is entirely dependent upan tlfo ■eoiMnoift-seiise viosv of direct pereeption, and argued that it destroys its own foundation, and that it pro-vicles its own premises to be Hito-rfuscd vflth iJlu* sjon. Ho quoted -Sume's sta-temoiit iii : tlie "Dia-Jogues on Natural fheology" that Wβ oait only argue i'roni aii effect to a cause wheii he have .seen a siiuilar cause producing a Eimilai- effect.. Kobody, he .lias ever sefin..cl.eeti-ons and cfer'predtiehiK seusations. Wo have never, seen tho causes * aijd on Hn-nie's prhiejplo wetaßMot fe'uii.di'theofi.es of the causes -upon, tho effect.

External Realrty

; All tMs does "nest diminish Sfats faith ; which everyone has « ifie fact'of reaiity. Can svcj ]id. asked, imitate Hum&'g serene aequksceaoij. in having one set- of ■ doctrines for the study and anetW- for the market plaw, doctrines shout filings of werytlay lifer , Jt would be ar-rflgah* to speak of solving tl)o dJffiefiJtyj hut m thought that .ft would ho iwitfeatfld if we gavq up the idfia that \ve' peu'B get mir netion of an inde])e«.dm)t external reality as a oolvslusi.oH 'feml iuiriiodia'to pcro&jrtapn. mast start wUh Hal raality as 'an ineritaihte belief. We know that caiise is fhero and that i$ radppenaent «f the periioiver, anj if \ve are flat to mitto noiisenso of tj.ie whole preeess of leaniiiijT by esnei'ie.iico *e must -begin with the assumption, of au exterttal material mechanism.' 'ac'lmfi. upoii us.j asid try to find o.ilt hmv. jt acts.

■■[Reports of jjreviaus, Ject'nres ef -this series wete ptrtfeljcd stt Tirfc on lifloniii-ry *?• an.d a.ncl jiardi 6 and 7.] . ' '