lecture03-第2章

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human　consciousness　a　sense　of　reality；　a　feeling　of　objective



presence；　a　perception　of　what　we　may　call　〃something　there；〃



more　deep　and　more　general　than　any　of　the　special　and　particular



〃senses〃　by　which　the　current　psychology　supposes　existent



realities　to　be　originally　revealed。　　If　this　were　so；　we　might



suppose　the　senses　to　waken　our　attitudes　and　conduct　as　they　so



habitually　do；　by　first　exciting　this　sense　of　reality；　but



anything　else；　any　idea；　for　example；　that　might　similarly　excite



it；　would　have　that　same　prerogative　of　appearing　real　which



objects　of　sense　normally　possess。　　So　far　as　religious



conceptions　were　able　to　touch　this　reality…feeling；　they　would



be　believed　in　in　spite　of　criticism；　even　though　they　might　be



so　vague　and　remote　as　to　be　almost　unimaginable；　even　though



they　might　be　such　non…entities　in　point　of　WHATNESS；　as　Kant



makes　the　objects　of　his　moral　theology　to　be。







The　most　curious　proofs　of　the　existence　of　such　an



undifferentiated　sense　of　reality　as　this　are　found　in



experiences　of　hallucination。　　It　often　happens　that　an



hallucination　is　imperfectly　developed：　　the　person　affected　will



feel　a　〃presence〃　in　the　room；　definitely　localized；　facing　in



one　particular　way；　real　in　the　most　emphatic　sense　of　the　word；



often　coming　suddenly；　and　as　suddenly　gone；　and　yet　neither



seen；　heard；　touched；　nor　cognized　in　any　of　the　usual　〃sensible〃



ways。　　Let　me　give　you　an　example　of　this；　before　I　pass　to　the



objects　with　whose　presence　religion　is　more　peculiarly



concerned。







An　intimate　friend　of　mine；　one　of　the　keenest　intellects　I　know；



has　had　several　experiences　of　this　sort。　　He　writes　as　follows



in　response　to　my　inquiries：







〃I　have　several　times　within　the　past　few　years　felt　the　so…



called　'consciousness　of　a　presence。'　　The　experiences　which　I



have　in　mind　are　clearly　distinguishable　from　another　kind　of



experience　which　I　have　had　very　frequently；　and　which　I　fancy



many　persons　would　also　call　the　'consciousness　of　a　presence。'



But　the　difference　for　me　between　the　two　sets　of　experience　is



as　great　as　the　difference　between　feeling　a　slight　warmth



originating　I　know　not　where；　and　standing　in　the　midst　of　a



conflagration　with　all　the　ordinary　senses　alert。







〃It　was　about　September；　1884；　when　I　had　the　first　experience。



On　the　previous　night　I　had　had；　after　getting　into　bed　at　my



rooms　in　College；　a　vivid　tactile　hallucination　of　being　grasped



by　the　arm；　which　made　me　get　up　and　search　the　room　for　an



intruder；　but　the　sense　of　presence　properly　so　called　came　on



the　next　night。　　After　I　had　got　into　bed　and　blown　out　the



candle；　I　lay　awake　awhile　thinking　on　the　previous　night's



experience；　when　suddenly　I　FELT　something　come　into　the　room　and



stay　close　to　my　bed。　　It　remained　only　a　minute　or　two。　　I　did



not　recognize　it　by　any　ordinary　sense　and　yet　there　was　a



horribly　unpleasant　'sensation'　connected　with　it。　　It　stirred



something　more　at　the　roots　of　my　being　than　any　ordinary



perception。　　The　feeling　had　something　of　the　quality　of　a　very



large　tearing　vital　pain　spreading　chiefly　over　the　chest；　but



within　the　organismand　yet　the　feeling　was　not　PAIN　so　much　as



ABHORRENCE。　　At　all　events；　something　was　present　with　me；　and　I



knew　its　presence　far　more　surely　than　I　have　ever　known　the



presence　of　any　fleshly　living　creature。　　I　was　conscious　of　its



departure　as　of　its　coming：　　an　almost　instantaneously　swift



going　through　the　door；　and　the　'horrible　sensation'　disappeared。







〃On　the　third　night　when　I　retired　my　mind　was　absorbed　in　some



lectures　which　I　was　preparing；　and　I　was　still　absorbed　in　these



when　I　became　aware　of　the　actual　presence　（though　not　of　the



COMING）　of　the　thing　that　was　there　the　night　before；　and　of　the



'horrible　sensation。'　I　then　mentally　concentrated　all　my　effort



to　charge　this　'thing；'　if　it　was　evil　to　depart；　if　it　was　NOT



evil；　to　tell　me　who　or　what　it　was；　and　if　it　could　not　explain



itself；　to　go；　and　that　I　would　compel　it　　to　go。　　It　went



as　on　the　previous　night；　and　my　body　quickly　recovered　its



normal　state。







〃On　two　other　occasions　in　my　life　I　have　had　precisely　the　same



'horrible　sensation。'　　Once　it　lasted　a　full　quarter　of　an　hour。　



In　all　three　instances　the　certainty　that　there　in　outward　space



there　stood　SOMETHING　was　indescribably　STRONGER　than　the



ordinary　certainty　of　companionship　when　we　are　in　the　close



presence　of　ordinary　living　people。　　The　something　seemed　close



to　me；　and　intensely　more　real　than　any　ordinary　perception。



Although　I　felt　it　to　be　like　unto　myself　so　to　speak；　or　finite；



small；　and　distressful；　as　it　were；　I　didn't　recognize　it　as　any



individual　being　or　person。〃







Of　course　such　an　experience　as　this　does　not　connect　itself　with



the　religious　sphere。　　Yet　it　may　upon　occasion　do　so；　and　the



same　correspondent　informs　me　that　at　more　than　one　other



conjuncture　he　had　the　sense　of　presence　developed　with　equal



intensity　and　abruptness；　only　then　it　was　filled　with　a　quality



of　joy。







〃There　was　not　a　mere　consciousness　of　something　there；　but　fused



in　the　central　happiness　of　it；　a　startling　awareness　of　some



ineffable　good。　　Not　vague　either；　not　like　the　emotional　effect



of　some　poem；　or　scene；　or　blossom；　of　music；　but　the　sure



knowledge　of　the　close　presence　of　a　sort　of　mighty　person；　and



after　it　went；　the　memory　persisted　as　the　one　perception　of



reality。　　Everything　else　might　be　a　dream；　but　not　that。〃







My　friend；　as　it　oddly　happens；　does　not　interpret　these　latter



experiences　theistically；　as　signifying　the　presence　of　God。　　But



it　would　clearly　not　have　been　unnatural　to　interpret　them　as　a



revelation　of　the　deity's　existence。　　When　we　reach　the　subject



of　mysticism；　we　shall　have　much　more　to　say　upon　this　head。







Lest　the　oddity　of　these　phenomena　should　disconcert　you；　I　will



venture　to　read　you　a　couple　of　similar　narratives；　much　shorter；



merely　to　show　that　we　are　dealing　with　a　well…marked　natural



kind　of　fact。　　In　the　first　case；　which　I　　take　from　the



Journal　of　the　Society　for　Psychical　Research；　the　sense　of



presence　developed　in　a　few　moments　into　a　distinctly



visualized　hallucinationbut　I　leave　that　part　of　the　story　out。







〃I　had　read；〃　the　narrator　says；　〃some　twenty　minutes　or　so；　was



thoroughly　absorbed　in　the　book；　my　mind　was　perfectly　quiet；　and



for　the　time　being　my　friends　were　quite　forgotten；　when　suddenly



without　a　moment's　warning　my　whole　being　seemed　roused　to　the



highest　state　of　tension　or　aliveness；　and　I　was　aware；　with　an



intenseness　not　easily　imagined　by　those　who　had　never



experienced　it；　that　another　being　or　presence　was　not　only　in



the　room；　but　quite　close　to　me。　　I　put　my　book　down；　and



although　my　excitement　was　great；　I　felt　quite　collected；　and　not



conscious　of　any　sense　of　fear。　　Without　changing　my　position；



and　looking　straight　at　the　fire；　I　knew　somehow　that　my　friend



A。　H。　was　standing　at　my　left　elbow　but　so　far　behind　me　as　to　be



hidden　by　the　armchair　in　which　I　was　leaning　back。　　Moving　my



eyes　round　slightly　without　otherwise　changing　my　position；　the



lower　portion　of　one　leg　became　visible；　and　I　instantly



recognized　the　gray…blue　material　of　trousers　he　often　wore；　but



the　stuff　appeared　semitransparent；　reminding　me　of　tobacco　smoke



in　consistency；〃＇24＇　and　hereupon　the　visual　hallucination



came。







＇24＇　Journal　of　the　S。　P。　R。；　February；　1895；　p。　26。















Another　informant　writes：







〃Quite　early　in　the　night　I　was　awakened。　。　。　。　I　felt　as　if　I



had　been　aroused　intentionally；　and　at　first　thought　some　one　was



breaking　into　the　house。　。　。　。　I　then　turned　on　my　side　to　go　to



sleep　again；　and　immediately　felt　a　consciousness　of　a　presence



in　the　room；　and　singular　to　state；　it　was　not　the　consciousness



of　a　live　person；　but　of　a　spiritual　presence。　　This　may　provoke



a　smile；　but　I　can　only　tell　you　the　facts　as　they　occurred　to



me。　　I　do　not　know　how　to　better　describe　my　sensations　than　by



simply　stating　that　I　felt　a　consciousness　of　a　spiritual



presence。　。　。　。　　I　felt　also　at　the　same　time　a　strong　feeling　of



superstitious　dread；　as　if　something　strange　and　fearful　were



about　to　happen。〃＇25＇







＇25＇　E。　Gurney：　　Phantasms　of　the　Living；　i。　384。















Professor　Flournoy　of　Geneva　gives　me　the　following　testimony　of



a　friend　of　his；　a　lady；　who　has　the　gift　of　automatic　or



involuntary　writing：







〃Whenever　I　practice　automatic　writing；　what　makes　me　feel　that



it　is　not　due　to　a　subconscious　self　is　the　feeling　I　always　have



of　a　foreign　presence；　external　to　my　body。　　It　is　sometimes　so



definitely　characterized　that　I　could　point　to　its　exact



position。　　This　impression　of　presence　is　impossible　to　describe。



It　varies　in　intensity　and　clearness　according　to　the　personality



from　whom　the　writing　professes　to　come。　　If　it　is　some　one　whom



I　love；　I　feel　it　immediately；　before　any　writing　has　come。　　My



heart　seems　to　recognize　it。〃







In　an　earlier　book　of　mine　I　have　cited　at　full　length　a　curious



case　of　presence　felt　by　a　blind　man。　　The　presence　was　that　of



the　figure　of　a　gray…bearded　man　dressed　in　a　pepper　and　salt



suit；　squeezing　himself　under　the　crack　of　the　door　and　moving



across　the　floor　of　the　room　towards　a　sofa。　　The　blind　subject



of　this　quasi…hallucination　is　an　exceptionally　intelligent



reporter。　　He　is　entirely　without　internal　visual　imagery　and



cannot　represent　light　or　colors　to　himself；　and　is　positive　that



his　other　senses；　hearing；　etc。；　were　not　involved　in　this　false



perception。　　It　seems　to　have　been　an　abstract　conception　rather；



with　the　feelings　of　reality　and　spatial　outwardness　directly



attached　to　itin　other　words；　a　fully　objectified　and



exteriorized　IDEA。







Such　cases；　taken　along　with　others　which　would　be　too　tedious



for　quotation；　seem　sufficiently　to　prove　the　existence　in　our



mental　machinery　of　a　sense　of　present　reality　more　diffused　and



general　than　that　which　our　special　senses　yield。　　For　the



psychologists　the　tracing　of　the　organic　seat　of　such　a　feeling



would　form　a　pretty　problemnothing　could　be　mor