Page:Mind (Old Series) Volume 9.djvu/173

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NEW BOOKS. 161 (pp. 1-29), conducted in the author's eclectic manner, for placing psychology on an ethnic foundation if it is to satisfy the conditions of natural science. The subjective aspect of mind is, however, by no means overlooked. Two others of the essays are of philosophic interest " Gedichtetes u. Gedachtes in naturwissenschaftlichen Controversen " (pp. 29-51), and " Religioses u. Rechtliches " (pp. 156-211). The remaining four are more specially an- thropological : " Die Andamanen " ; " Aus Polynesien " ; " Die Pubertats- "Veihe der Junglinge " ; " Ueber die Oster-Insel :! . Ueber das Princip der Organisation u. die Pflanzseele. Von. Dr. EXGELBERT LOREXZ FISCHER, Privatdocent der Philosophic an der k. Universitat Wiirzburg. Mainz : Kirchhein, 1883. Pp. xv., 144. Der sogenannte Lebensmagnetismus oder Hypnotismus. Same Author and Publisher, 1883. Pp. viii., 119. These works are written from the scientific point of view, but the author takes pains to show or suggest that his conclusions accord with Biblical and Catholic doctrine. In the first, he seeks to mediate amongst the four differ- ent theories of organic life which he distinguishes as (1) the idealistic or type-theory, (2) the vital-force-theory, (3) the soul-theory, (4) the mechan- ical theory ; finding no other ultimate explanation of life than as brought to pass by the absolute First Cause (Urgrund) of all being, and support- ing his views further by a special consideration of the facts of vegetable life, which evince the existence of the vegetative soul as an actual imma- terial principle but not the proper cause of organisation. In the other essay, he follows Braid mainly and devises, in more or less agreement with other recent investigators in Germany, a " physiopsychological " theory of the facts of hypnotism, as against any supposition of special " mesmeric " or " electrobiological " influences. Ueber das Richtifj*. Eine Erorterung der ethischen Grundfragen. Von Dr. JUL. BERGMAXX, ord. Prof, der Philosophic an der Universitat zu Marburg. Berlin : Mittler, 1883. Pp. vii., 178. This work falls into five sections, the titles of which give a fair notion of its scope : "The notion of Right in general" (pp. 1-30) ;- " The notion of the morally Right" (pp. 31-67); "The doctrine of Happiness and of Perfection" (pp. 68-113); '"The doctrine of Morality as a formal disposi- tion (BeschafferJieit) of Will" (pp. 114-152); "Moral Goods and Duties" (pp. 153-176). Tonpsychologie. Von Dr. CARL STUMPF, Professor der Philosophic an der deutschen Universitat zu Prag. Erster Band. Leipzig : Hirzel, 1883. Pp. xiv., 427. The author, who has already made his mark by his investigation of the hological origin of the notion of space, here takes up an inquiry to which an early and unbroken devotion to music has helped to direct his scientific attention the description, namely, of the whole range of psychical functions excited by tones. Though the "subject appears to him to have been strangely neglected, considering the advanced state of physical and physiological acoustics (he does not seem to know of Mr. Gurney's ela- borate work on The Povxr of Sound), there is, he maintains, no department of psychological inquiry so well provided with means and materials for the attainment of positive results. The present volume does not reach as far as the properly musical problems, but is concerned only with the 11