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changed by chronic heart and lung disease and by arthritis。 But the influence of the endocrinal secretions is very great。
As a matter of fact; judgment of character will never be attained through the study of face; form or hand。 As language is a means not only of expressing truth but of disguising it; so these surface phenomena are as often masks as guides。 Any sober…minded student of life; intent on knowing himself or his fellows; will seek no royal road to this knowledge; but will endeavor to understand the fundamental forces of character; will strive to trace the threads of conduct back to their origins in motive; intelligence; instinct and emotion。 We have emphasized the practical value of some sort of character analysis in dealing with others。 But to know himself has a hugely practical value to every man; since upon that knowledge depends self…correction。 For 〃man is the only animal that deliberately undertakes while reshaping his outer world to reshape himself also。〃'1' Moreover; man is the only seeker of perfection; he is a deep; intense critic of himself。 To reach nobility of character is not a practical aim; but is held to be an end sufficient in itself。 So man constantly probes into himself〃Are my purposes good; is my will stronghow can I strengthen my control; how make righteous my instincts and emotions?〃 It is true that there is a worshipand always has beenof efficiency and success as against character; that man has tended to ask more often; 〃What has he done?〃 or; 〃What has he got?〃 rather than; 〃What is he?〃 and that therefore man in his self…analysis has often asked; 〃How shall I get?〃 or; 〃How shall I do?〃 In the largest sense these questions are also questions of character; for even if we discard as inadequate the psychology which considers behavior alone as important; conduct is the fruit of character; without which it is sterile。 '1' Hocking。
This book does not aim at any short cuts by which man may know himself or his neighbor。 It seeks to analyze the fundamentals of personality; avoiding metaphysics as the plague。 It does not define character or seek to separate it from mind and personality。 Written by a neurologist; a physician in the active practice of his profession; it cannot fail to bear more of the imprint of medicine; of neurology; than of psychology and philosophy。 Yet it has also laid under contribution these fields of human effort。 Mainly it will; I hope; bear the marks of everyday experience; of contact with the world and with men and women and children as brother; husband; father; son; lover; hater; citizen; doer and observer。 For it is this plurality of contact that vitalizes; and he who has not drawn his universals of character out of the particulars of everyday life is a cloistered theorist; aloof from reality。
CHAPTER I。 THE ORGANIC BASIS OF CHARACTER The history of Man's thought is the real history of mankind。 Back of all the events of history are the curious systems of beliefs for which men have lived and died。 Struggling to understand himself; Man has built up and discarded superstitions; theologies and sciences。 Early in this strange and fascinating history he divided himself into two partsa body and a mind。 Working together with body; mind somehow was of different stuff and origin than body and had only a mysterious connection with it。 Theology supported this belief; metaphysics and philosophy debated it with an acumen that was practically sterile of usefulness。 Mind and body 〃interacted〃 in some mysterious way; mind and body were 〃parallel〃 and so set that thought…processes and brain…processes ran side by side without really having anything to do with one another。'1' With the development of modern anatomy; physiology and psychology; the time is ripe for men boldly to say that applying the principle of causation in a practical manner leaves no doubt that mind and character are organic; are functions of the organism and do not exist independently of it。 I emphasize 〃practical〃 in relation to causation because it would be idle for us here to enter into the philosophy of cause and effect。 Such discussion is not taken seriously by the very philosophers who most earnestly enter into it。 '1' William James in Volume 1 of his 〃Psychology〃 gives an interesting resume of the theories that consider the relationship of mind (thought and consciousness) to body。 He quotes the 〃lucky〃 paragraph from Tyndall; 〃The passage from the physics of the brain to the corresponding facts of consciousness is unthinkable。 Granted that a definite thought and a definite molecular action in the brain occur simultaneously; we do not possess the intellectual organ; or apparently any trace of the organ which would enable us to pass by a process of reasoning from one to the other。〃 This is the 〃parallel〃 theory which postulates a hideous waste of energy in the universe and which throws out of count the same kind of reasoning by which Tyndall worked on light; heat; etc。 We cannot understand the beginning and the end of motion; we cannot understand causation。 Probably when Tyndall's thoughts came slowly and he was fatigued he said〃Well; a good cup of coffee will make me think faster。〃 In conceding this practical connection between mind and body; every 〃spiritualist〃 philosopher gives away his case whenever he rests or eats。
The statement that mind is a function of the organism is not necessarily 〃materialistic。〃 The body is a living thing and as such is as 〃spiritualistic〃 as life itself。 Enzymes; internal secretions; nervous activities are the products of cells whose powers are indeed drawn from the ocean of life。 To prove this statement; which is a cardinal thesis of this book; I shall adduce facts of scientific and facts of common knowledge。 One might start with the statement that the death of the body brings about the abolition of mind and character; but this; of course; proves nothing; since it might well be that the body was a lever for the expression of mind and character; and with its disappearance as a functioning agent such expression was no longer possible。 It is convenient to divide our exposition into two parts; the first the dependence upon proper brain function and structure; and the second the dependence upon the proper health of other organs。 For it is not true that mind and character are functions of the brain alone; they are functions of the entire organism。 The brain is simply the largest and most active of the organs upon which the mental life depends; but there are minute organs; as we shall see; upon whose activity the brain absolutely depends。 Any injury to the brain may destroy or seriously impair the mentality of the individual。 This is too well known to need detailed exposition。 Yet some cases of this type are fundamental in the exquisite way they prove (if anything can be proven) the dependence of mind upon bodily structure。 In some cases of fracture of the skull; a piece of bone pressing upon the brain may profoundly alter memory; mood and character。 Removal of the piece of bone restores the mind to normality。 This is also true of brain tumor of certain types; for example; frontal endotheliomata; where early removal of the growth demonstrates first that a 〃physical〃 agent changes min