Introduction.

I. General Considerations on the Relationship Between Body and Soul.

While the doctrine of the material world has flourished through various branches of natural science In the 19th century, "Naturwissenschaft" encompassed physics, chemistry, and biology, which were rapidly becoming more rigorous and mathematical. to a great level of development, and enjoys sharp principles and methods that ensure its successful progress; and while the doctrine of the spirit in psychology and logic has gained firm foundations, at least to certain limits; the doctrine of the relationships between body and spirit, or body and soul, has remained until now almost merely a field of philosophical dispute. It lacks a firm foundation and lacks secure principles and methods for the progress of investigation.

The most immediate reason for this unfavorable situation is, in my opinion, to be found in the following factual circumstance—though this circumstance itself prompts us to ask for its own deeper, underlying cause. We can track the relationships of the physical world on their own, directly and in context, through experience; we can do the same for the relationships of the inner or spiritual world. We can track the former as far as our senses and their magnifying aids Such as microscopes or telescopes. reach, and the latter as far as each individual's own soul extends. In this way, we are able to obtain fundamental facts, basic laws, and essential relationships in each of these two areas, which can serve us as secure foundations and starting points for deduction and further progress. This is not the case with the connection between the physical and spiritual worlds; for of the two factors belonging directly together in this connection, only one ever enters into immediate experience at a time, while the other [remains] under the cover... The text cuts off here at "unter der Decke," implying the "other" factor (either the soul or the physical process) is hidden from direct observation when the first is being experienced.