[275] This aspect of dreaming has been set forth by Bergson (Revue Philosophique, December 1908, p. 574). 'The dream state,' he remarks, 'is the substratum of our normal state. Nothing is added in waking life; on the contrary, waking life is obtained by the limitation, concentration, and tension of that diffuse psychological life which is the life of dreaming. The perception and the memory which we find in dreaming are, in a sense, more natural than those of waking life: consciousness is then amused in perceiving for the sake of perceiving, and in remembering for the sake of remembering, without care for life, that is to say for the accomplishment of actions. To be awake is to eliminate, to choose, to concentrate the totality of the diffused life of dreaming to a point, to a practical problem. To be awake is to will; cease to will, detach yourself from life, become disinterested: in so doing you pass from the waking ego to the dreaming ego, which is less tense, but more extended than the other.'
[276] Pepys, Diary, 2nd April 1664.
Transcriber notes:
P. [189]. 'given him posion', changed 'posion' to 'poison'.
P. [203]. Added footnote [[184]] link.
P. [214]. 'concommitants' changed to 'concomitants'.
P. [215]. 'alarum clock', changed 'alarum' to 'alarm'.
P. [215]. 'hashisch' changed to 'hashish'.
P. [231]. Footnote [210], 'alcholic' changed to 'alcoholic'.
P. [249]. 'hue to' changed to 'due to'.
Fixed various punctuation