Psychology and Life. By Hugo Miinsterberg, Professor of Psychology in
Harvard University. (Archibald Constable and Co. 6s.)—It is not very easy to catch the central idea of Professor Mansterberg as set forth in this volume. The writer says that his chief aim has been to separate the concep- tions of psychology from the conceptions of our real life. Why should it be necessary to do this ? Because, says the author, psychology is not an expression of reality, but "a complicated transformation of it, worked out for special logical purposes in the service of our life." Psychology is thus rather an abstraction than a statement of our real feeling and duty, or our real aims and ideals in life. Professor Miinsterberg tells us frankly that his book is not for those who take a mere interest in psychology, but care nothing for philosophy, by which we take it that he has no interest in a merely subjective analysis of the mind which does not find its basis in the universal mind. This is confirmed by his avowal that his object is to effect a scientific synthesis of ethical idealism with the physiological psychology of our time. The various chapters treat of psychology and life, psychology and physiology, psychology and education, psychology and art, psychology and history, and psychology and mysticism. Thus the author attempts to relate psychology to the chief activities of human life, and his conception would be very interesting were it more thoroughly worked out. As it is, there are many suggestive ideas without, as it seems to us, any clear fundamental concep- tion being arrived at. The book, however, will stimulate thought, especially among those belated thinkers who imagine they can build up a science of psychology of any real value in the absence of a metaphysic.
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