Editorial May 19, 1923 Issue

The True Psychology

Albert F. Gilmore

The distinction made by Mrs. Eddy between God as divine Mind, and the mortal or human mind, is both unique in modern times and fundamental. While idealists, both philosophers and religionists, before her time conceived the universe to be mental, none had made the all-important discrimination which she makes between the universe of Spirit—the ideas of divine Mind—and the counterfeit, the socalled material creation, known through the medium of the physical senses, and its subjective state, the supposititious mortal mind. Mrs. Eddy saw God, Mind, to be infinite, the creator of the infinite spiritual universe of perfect and eternal ideas. Divine Science was revealed to her as the Science of Mind, which takes no cognizance of, because having no conception of, the things of the false material world; and this divine Science is the only true psychology, the Science of Soul.

Psychology is derived from two Greek words which meant, as viewed by that ancient people, the science of the soul or spirit of man. But it is apparent that in the sense in which our Leader uses the word on page 369 of Science and Health, it refers to God as Soul or Spirit. In present usage, psychology has come to mean almost exclusively the science of the human or mortal mind; hence the impossibility of gaining from its study that truly scientific knowledge, which is to be obtained only through the understanding and demonstration of spiritual truth.

The belief in a human mind as a reality or entity has been supported by many capable men, learned in the world's way of thinking, who through study, experiment, and investigation have attempted to develop a science of mind termed psychology. One result has been greatly to overemphasize in public thought the importance of such investigation, and unduly to value the results of such study. Accordingly, on every hand is observed the attention given to psychology and its manifold attendant relations. What does this mean? Precisely this: that in fact the student of this subject in any one of its numerous branches is devoting his attention to a belief of something which does not exist, a counterfeit which possesses no element of Truth. Surely nothing worthy, substantial, or practical can be gained from the investigation of the alleged processes of a nonentity. But by reversal, such study may become the waymark to the understanding of divine Mind, whereby exact and scientific knowledge is gained.

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