The unconscious mind (1908) by Alfred Taylor Schofield. PDF book

The unconscious mind by Alfred Taylor Schofield

The object of this work is to establish the fact of an unconscious mind in man and to trace in brief some of its powers and the various ways in which they are exhibited. We shall hope to show that this mind is the seat of character and of conscience and the spirit-life; the source of conduct, of instinct, of tact, and the thousand qualities that make us what we are; the home of memory, the ultimate governor and ruler of all actions and functions of the body, and in every way a most important factor in our psychical and physical life. 

An attempt will be first made to trace something of the dawn of mind amongst Plant of lower animals, and then briefly to widen book - and deepen the radical conception of the meaning of the word " mind " as applied to man, so as definitely to include all unconscious psychic powers. 

We shall then consider consciousness — so long the god of psychologists — what it is and what it is not; and then turn our attention to the unconscious and show that it is probably the greater part of the mind, consciousness being but the illuminated disc on which attention is riveted on account of its brightness, as if it were all, whereas we shall see in the shades around stretch mental faculties — deeper, wider, loftier, and truer. "We shall then trace the connection of the unconscious with the conscious, and the bearings of the one on the other; and shall next speak of unconscious mind and habit and its formation, the various qualities of the unconscious mind, and its action in memory and in sleep; and then we must consider the great question of the education of the unconscious mind in man, and seek to show that the truest education and formation of character in children must inevitably be based upon it and not on the conscious; and that the value of the ultimate man or woman actually depends upon the character and extent of this education. 

We shall then touch briefly upon the connection of the unconscious mind with sensation, and its rule over the body generally, and then in de- tail its connection with special sensation, the muscular system and the various other systems and organs of the body, including the question of sex and reproduction; and lastly, we must look somewhat carefully at it as a great power in disease and as a great agent in therapeutics, touching here on the question of faith and mind healing so closely connected with it, and concluding this monograph with a summary of its powers as established by evidence and observation. If it is asked, why is this book written and this inquiry instituted? the answer is why this book is two-fold. First of all, on account of writing. the great bearing of the question on many different branches of scientific research that are of practical interest. Secondly, because the whole subject matter of it is hotly contested and vigorously denied by many scientists, at least in this country. As to its importance, the true definition of mind is the cornerstone of the foundation, or the key-stone of the arch, which supports the sciences of philosophy, metaphysics and psychology

 
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