Critiques and Addresses by Thomas Henry Huxley
page 338 of 350 (96%)
page 338 of 350 (96%)
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he refers to that notion of solidity which may be obtained by the
tactile sense, without the addition of any notion of resistance in the solid object; as, for example, when the finger passes lightly over the surface of a billiard ball. Yet another source of difficulty in clearly understanding Berkeley arises out of his use of the word "outness." In speaking of touch he seems to employ it indifferently, both for the localization of a tactile sensation in the sensory surface, which we really obtain through touch; and for the notion of corporeal separation, which is attained by the association of muscular and tactile sensations. In speaking of sight, on the other hand, Berkeley employs "outness" to denote corporeal separation. When due allowance is made for the occasional looseness and ambiguity of Berkeley's terminology, and the accessories are weeded out of the essential parts of his famous Essay, his views may, I believe, be fairly and accurately summed up in the following propositions:-- 1. The sense of touch gives rise to ideas of extension, figure, magnitude, and motion. 2. The sense of touch gives rise to the idea of "outness," in the sense of localization. 3. The sense of touch gives rise to the idea of resistance, and thence to that of solidity, in the sense of impenetrability. 4. The sense of touch gives rise to the idea of "outness," in the sense of distance in the third dimension, and thence to that of space, |
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