LECTURE XVI

I. The Concept of Consciousness. § II. Condition of Ideas in
Consciousnes.s. § III. Perception and Apperception; Clear¬
ness AND Distinctness of Ideas. § IV. Phenomena accompany¬
ing Apperception.   § V, Attention.  § VI. Self-consciousness,

WHAT is ' consciousness' ? Much attention has been
devoted to this question in modern times both by
philosophers and psychologists. There could be no doubt that
the word denoted some phase or aspect of our mental life, and
was not identical with any of the other concepts, like 'idea,'
' feeling,' ' will,' etc., which we apply to particular mental pro¬
cesses and states. So that the view naturally suggested itself
that consciousness is a special mental condition, requiring to be
defined by certain characteristic marks. And the feeling that it
was necessary to oppose to consciousness an unconscious mental
existence promoted this opinion. Ideas, affective processes,
may vanish and then again appear. It is therefore inferred
that after leaving consciousness they have continued to exist
in an unconscious state, and at times return to their former
condition.

From this point of view, nothing is more natural than to
think of consciousness as a kind of stage upon which our ideas
are the actors, appearing, withdrawing behind the scenes, and
coming on again when their cue is given. And the notion has
become so popular that many philosophers and psychologists con¬
sider it much more interesting to learn what takes place behind
the scenes, in unconsciousness, than what occurs in consciousness.
Every-day experience, it is supposed, has made the latter familiar
to us ; but we know nothing of the unconscious, and to learn
something about it would be a really interesting addition to our
knowledge.