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Individuals are an appearance, necessary to the

Absolute, but still an appearance, self-inconsistent,

mixing truth with falsehood, and--if and so far as you

offer it by itself as the truth--then not the truth but

a mere appearance. And I have answered this question as

best I could, because it seemed to me a question that

must be answered by any one who undertakes seriously to

deal with the Absolute and the Time-process. And I do

not say that Professor Watson has not answered this

question at all. But, if he has answered it, I am myself

unable to discover what his answer means.

On the subject of time the reader may consult with

advantage a paper by Mr. Bosanquet in the Proceedings of

the Aristotelian Society, Vol. iii, No. 2.

pp. 253-4. With regard to the window-frame the possible

objection which I had in my mind was the reply, "But a

frame surely is at least as real as a window-pane." That

objection, so far as I know, has not yet been made. I

have however seen this urged, that, when limited

transparencies are gone, we are left with empty space.

But I cannot imagine why through my window should come

nothing but white light, and I see nothing but blank

space. Why must a transparent window, when I look

through it, be a mere formless translucency?

p. 256. With regard to Redintegration--without wishing

to commit myself to any decided view--I have assumed

that to be fact which is generally taken to be so, viz.,

that among the members of a series there is reproduction

only forwards, i.e. from a to b and not also from b to

a. The first member in the series cannot therefore be

recalled by any later member directly. This must be done

Indirectly and through the common character and the

unity of the series. This character, because associated

with the whole series inclusive of the end, can, given

the end, recall the beginning. But in what this

character and unity consists is a most difficult

problem. It is a problem however which calls for

treatment by any one who tries to deal systematically

with the principles of psychology. It will be understood

that in this Note I am speaking of mere serial

reproduction, but that on the other hand I am not

assuming that even reproduction forwards, from a to b,

can be taken ultimately as merely direct.

Chapter xxi. In Part III, Chapter iii, of Mr. Hobhouse's

work on the Theory of Knowledge, I find an argument

against "subjective idealism" which it may be well to

consider briefly. The same argument would appear also

suited, if not directed, to prove the reality of primary

qualities taken as bare. And though this is very

probably not intended, and though I find the argument in

any case difficult to follow, I will criticise it, so

far as I understand it, from both points of view.

The process seems to consist, as was natural, in an

attempt at removal by elimination of all the conditions

of a relation A--B, until A--B is left true and real by