the foundations of personality-第25章

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rganizing　energy　brings　about　failure　〃to　concentrate〃　and　the　tyranny　of　casual　associations　annoys　and　angers。　The　stock　complaint　of　the　neurasthenic　that　everything　distracts　his　attention　is　a　reversion　back　to　the　unorganized　conditions　of　childhood；　with　this　essential　difference：　that　the　neurasthenic　rebels　against　his　difficulty　in　thinking；　whereas　the　child　has　no　rebellion　against　that　which　is　his　normal　state。　Minds　differ　primarily　and　hugely　in　their　power　of　organizing　experience；　in　so　studying　and　recording　the　past　that　it　becomes　a　guide　for　the；　future。　Basic　in　this　is　the　power　of　resisting　the　irrelevant　association；　of　checking　those　automatic　mental　activities　that　tend　to　be　stirred　up　by　each　sound；　each　sight；　smell；　taste　and　touch。　The　man　whose　task　has　no　appeal　for　him　has　to　fight　to　keep　his　mind　on　it；　and　there　are　other　people；　the　so…called　absent…minded；　who　are　so　over…　concentrated；　so　wedded　to　a　goal　in　thought；　that　lesser　matters　are　neither　remembered　nor　noticed。　In　its　excess　overconcentration　is　a　handicap；　since　it　robs　one　of　that　alertness　for　new　impressions；　new　sources　of　thought　so　necessary　for　growth。　The　fine　mind　is　that　which　can　pursue　successfully　a　goal　in　thought　but　which　picks　en　route　to　that　goal；　out　of　the　irrelevant　associations；　something　that　enriches　its　conclusions。　Not　often　enough　is　mechanical　skill；　hand…mindedness；　considered　as　one　of　the　prime　phases　of　intelligence。　Intelligence；　en　route　to　the　conquest　of　the　world；　made　use　of　that　marvelous　instrument；　the　human　hand；　which　in　its　opposable　thumb　and　little　finger　sharply　separates　man　from　the　rest　of　creation。　Studying　causes　and　effects；　experimenting　to　produce　effect；　the　hand　became　the　principal　instrument　in　investigation；　and　the　prime　verifier　of　belief。　〃Seeing　is　believing〃　is　not　nearly　so　accurate　as　〃Handling　is　believing；〃　for　there　is　in　touch；　and　especially　in　touch　of　the　hands　and　in　the　arm　movements；　a　Reality　component　of　the　first　magnitude。　But　not　only　in　touching　and　investigating；　but　in　pushing　and　pulling　and　striking；　IN　CAUSING　CHANGE；　does　the　hand　become　the　symbol　and　source　of　power　and　efficiency。　Undoubtedly　this　phase　of　the　hands'　activities　remained　predominant　for　untold　centuries；　during　which　man　made　but　slow　progress　in　his　career　toward　the　leadership　of　the　world。　Then　came　the　phase　of　tool…making　and　using　and　with　that　a　rush　of　events　that　built　the　cities；　bridged　the　waters；　opened　up　the　Little　and　the　Big　as　sources　of　knowledge　and　energy　for　man　and　gave　him　the　power　which　he　has　used；but　poorly。　It　is　the　skill　of　human　hands　upon　which　the　mind　of　man　depends；　though　we　fly　through　the　air　and　speed　under　water；　some　one　has　made　the　tools　that　made　the　machine　we　use。　Therefore；　the　mechanical　skill　of　man；　the　capacity　to　shape　resisting　material　to　purpose；　the　power　of　the　detailed　applications　of　the　principles　of　movement　and　force　are　high；　special　functions　of　the　intelligence。　That　people　differ　enormously　in　this　skill；　that　it　is　not　necessarily　associated　with　other　phases　of　intelligence　are　commonplaces。　The　dealer　in　abstract　ideas　of　great　value　to　the　race　may　be　unable　to　drive　a　nail　straight；　while　the　man　who　can　build　the　most　intricate　mechanism　out　of　crude　iron；　wood　and　metal　may　be　unable　to　express　any　but　the　commonplaces　of　existence。　Intelligence；　acting　through　skill；　has　evolved　machinery　and　the　industrial　evolution；　acting　to　discover　constant　principles　operating　in　experience；　it　has　established　science。　Seeking　to　explain　and　control　the　world　of　unknown　forces；　it　has　evolved　theory　and　practice。　A　very　essential　division　of　people　is　on　the　one　hand　those　whose　effort　is　to　explain　things；　and　who　are　called　theorists；　and　those　who　seek　to　control　things；　the　practical　persons。　There　is　a　constant　duel　between　these　two　types　of　personalities；　and　since　the　practical　usually　control　the　power　of　the　world；　the　theorists　and　explainers　have　had　rather　a　hard　time　of　it；　though　they　are　slowly　coming　into　their　own。　Another　difference　between　minds　is　this：　that　intelligence　deals　with　the　relations　between　things　（this　being　a　prime　function　of　speech）；　and　intelligence　only　becomes　intellect　when　it　is　able　to　see　the　world　from　the　standpoint　of　abstract　ideas；　such　as　truth；　beauty；　love；　honor；　goodness；　evil；　justice；　race；　individual；　etc。　The　wider　one　can　generalize　correctly；　the　higher　the　intellect。　The　practical　man　rarely　seeks　wide　generalizations　because　the　truth　of　these　and　their　value　can　only　be　demonstrated　through　the　course　of　long　periods　of　time；　during　which　no　good　to　the　individual　himself　is　seen。　Besides　which；　the　practical　man　knows　that　the　wide　generalization　may　be　an　error。　Practical　aims　are　usually　immediate　aims；　whereas　the　aims　of　intellect　are　essentially　remote　and　may　project　beyond　the　life　of　the　thinker　himself。　We　speak　of　people　as　original　or　as　the　reverse；　with　the　understanding　that　originality　is　the　basis　of　the　world's　progress。　To　be　original　in　thought　is　to　add　new　relationships　to　those　already　accepted；　or　to　substitute　new　ones　for　the　old。　The　original　person　is　not　easily　credulous；　he　applies　to　traditional　teaching　and　procedure　the　acid　test　of　results。　Thus　the　astronomers　who　rejected　the　theological　idea　that　the　earth　was　the　center　of　the　universe　observed　that　eclipses　could　not　be　explained　on　such　a　basis；　and　Harvey；　as　he　dissected　bullocks'　hearts　and　tied　tourniquets　around　his　arms；　could　not　believe　that　Galen's　teaching　on　circulation　fitted　what　he　saw　of　the　veins　and　valves　of　his　arm。　The　original　observer　refuses　to　slide　over　stubborn　facts；　authority　has　less　influence　with　him　than　has　an　apple　dropping　downward。　In　another　way　the　original　thinker　is　constantly　taking　apart　his　experiences　and　readjusting　the　pieces　into　new　combinations　of　beauty；　usefulness　and　truth。　This　he　does　as　artist；　inventor　and　scientist。　Most　originality　lies　in　the　rejection　of　old　ideas　and　methods　as　not　consonant　with　results　and　experience；　in　the　taking　apart　and　the　isolation　of　the　components　of　experience　（analysis）　and　in　their　reassemblage　into　new　combinations　（synthesis）。　The　organizing　activity　of　the　original　mind　is　high；　and　curiosity　and　interest　are　usually　well　maintained。　Unless　there　is　with　these　traits　the　quality　called　good　judgment　（i。e。；　good　choice）；　the　original　is　merely　one　of　those　〃pests〃　who　launch　half…baked　reforms　and　projects　upon　a　weary　world。　We　have　spoken　of　intelligence　as　controlling　and　directing　instinct　and　desire；　as　inhibiting　emotion；　as　exhibiting　itself　in　handicraftsmanship；　as　the　builder　up　of　abstractions　and　the　principles　of　power　and　knowledge；　we　have　omitted　its　relationship　to　speech。　Without　speech　and　its　derivatives；　man　would　still　be　a　naked　savage　and　not　so　well　off　in　his　struggle　for　existence　as　most　of　the　larger　animals。　It　is　possible　that　we　can　think　without　words；　but　surely　very　little　thinking　is　possible　under　such　circumstances。　One　might　conduct　a　business　without　definite　records；　but　it　would　be　a　very　small　one。　Speech　is　a　means　not　only　of　designating　things　but　of　the　manifest　relations　between　things。　It　〃short…cuts〃　thought　so　that　we　may　store　up　a　thousand　experiences　in　one　word。　But　its　stupendous　value　and　effects　lie　in　this；　that　in　words　not　only　do　we　store　up　ourselves　（could　we　be　self…conscious　without　words？）　and　things；　but　we　are　able　to　interchange　ourselves　and　our　things　with　any　one　else　in　the　world　who　understands　our　speech　and　writings。　And　we　may　truly　converse　with　the　dead　and　be　profoundly　changed　by　them。　If　the　germ　plasm　is　the　organ　of　biological　heredity；　speech　and　its　derivatives　are　the　organs　of　social　heredity！　The　power　of　expressing　thought　in　words；　of　compressing　experiences　into　spoken　and　written　symbols；　of　being　eloquent　or　convincing　either　by　tongue　or　pen；　is　thus　a　high　function　of　intelligence。　The　able　speaker　and　writer　has　always　been　powerful；　and　he　has　always　found　a　high　social　value　in　promulgating　the　ideas　of　those　too　busy　or　unfitted　for　this　task；　and　he　has　been　the　chief