47 |
"The experiments of Blix,
Goldscheider and Donaldson (1)
have shown that the points
The sensations of heat and cold.
These soon become affective and are measured by reactions called
forth. |
on the surface of the body which
feel cold are not the same as those which feel heat. Physiology is thus disposed
to set up a distinction of nature, and not
merely of degree, between the |
sensations of heat and cold.
But psychological observation goes further, for close attention
can easily discover specific differences between the different
sensations of heat, as also between the sensations of cold. A
more intense heat is really another kind of heat. We call it
more intense because we have experienced this same change a thousand
times when we approached nearer and nearer a source of heat,
or which a growing surface of our body was affected by it. Besides,
the sensations of heat and cold very quickly become affective
and incite us to more or less marked reactions by which we measure
their external cause: hence,
we are inclined to set up similar quantitative differences among
the sensations which correspond to lower intensities of the cause. But I shall not
insist any further; every one must question himself carefully
on this point, after making a clean sweep of everything which
his past experience has taught him about the cause
of his sensations and coming face to face with the sensations
themselves. The result of this examination is likely to be as
follows: it will be perceived that the magnitude
of a representative sensation depends on the cause having been
put into the effect,
while the intensity of the affective element depends on the more
or less important reactions which prolong the external stimulations
and find their way into the sensation itself."
Note (1): "On the Temperature
Sense" Mind,
1885.
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(Our bold, color, violet bold italic problematics and violet
bold problematics.)
Bergson restarts his footnote counts on each page. So to refer
a footnote, one must state page number and footnote number.
Our bold and color highlights follow a code:
- black-bold - important to read if you are just scanning
our review
- orange-bold - text ref'd
by index pages
- green-bold - we see Bergson
suggesting axiomatic memes
- violet-bold - an apparent
classical problematic
- blue-bold - we disagree
with this text segment while disregarding context of Bergson's
overall text
- gray-bold - quotable
text
- red-bold - our direct
commentary
Index
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