3 -- PLEASURE AND PAIN
|
|---|
5. As the final object of religion, as referred to, is the acquisition of supreme bliss and the complete elimination of pain, a detailed enquiry into the phenomena of pleasure and pain would appear to be essential for their correct comprehension and for the selection and adoption of such suitable means as would result in the attainment of the end in view.
|
4 -- THE SENSORY CURRENT
|
|---|
6. It is a matter of everyday experience that pleasure and pain are felt only when a sentient entity is in the normal condition of wakefulness. The moment the entity passes into the condition of dream or deep slumber, or into a condition of trance, or that brought about by the administration of chloroform, there is no perception of pleasure or pain. It is, therefore, clear that the main factor in the perception of pleasure and pain is that something
, which receded or becomes inoperative at the time the transmutation of the wakeful condition into the other conditions, referred to, takes place.
That something is technically known as the sensory current. A comprehension of the nature of this current, and the form in which it manifests itself, constitutes, therefore, the initial step in the study of the phenomena of pleasure and pain.
7. An examination and analysis of the following case of sensory action, which is one of everyday occurance, would show the true nature of the sensory current, and would, it is hoped, remove to some extent the vagueness which appertains to its true nature and to its subjective functions.
8. A person is deeply engaged in the solution of an intricate mathematical problem; hours pass by, the clock strikes, and yet he does not become cognizant of the time that has elapsed, or of the striking of the clock.
The cause of this non-cognizance is not far to seek and can readily be stated. The attention, by its engrossment in the solution of the problem, was diverted from other sides, and this resulted in the cessation of other perceptions which,
under ordinary circumstances, would have duly produced their subjective effects. Yet the great truth and the laws, that under-lie the explanation given above, have not been reduced to definite shapes, nor worked up to other conditions and formulae.
9. The fundamental law of sensory action would appear to be that it manifests itself in the form of attention, and that its strength varies directly as the intensity of attention, disappearing entirely when there is a complete diversion of attention. There are innumerable shades and degrees of attention, and in accordance with them, the intensity of perception varies. The law enunciated above appertains to the phenomenon of perceptions of all classes as a whole.
10. The following exposition differentiates the main features of the two great classes, viz., pleasure and pain, into which all perceptions may be broadly divided.
|
|
Back
Previous
Next
|
|
|
