Manual of Empirical Psychology as an Inductive Science: A Text- Book for High Schools and Colleges, pp. 1-273

The reasons given by Professor Lindner for the publication of this book may at the same time serve as the basis for its translation into English. That the book is full of vitality has rich, interesting content and offers a satisfactory explanation for things that others simply confirm, no one can doubt who is reading it. But beyond these general considerations, there are other reasons why this book is especially needed in the United States. Psychology is certainly the foundation of true learning, and most modern psychologists do not disclose what the study of the mind can do to train the mind. Each page is a direct inducement to introspection. Introspection comes spontaneously to the reader. Again, where current psychology textbooks do not develop in metaphysical systems, they usually develop the subject of psychophysics far beyond any practical relationship to educational problems, even if they are not inclined or immersed in their irrational materialism. Lindner really laid the foundation for cognition in psychophysics, but then he moves on to a truly spiritual explanation of mental processes and products. Another reason for the lack of enthusiasm with which young teachers are engaged in the study of psychology is the inherently uninteresting nature of most treatises on the subject. Lindner is always interesting. His explanations are always clear, precise and consistent, while each branch of science and experience brought up its own select facts to enrich the content of his book. Every American student who studies pedagogy in Germany is well aware that the greatest activity of pedagogical thought in this country falls on the members of the Herbart school. They attack with the greatest energy all important areas of educational thought and quickly turn education into a real science. The great secret of their aggression and effectiveness lies in the fact that they have a life psychology that shows the origin and development of thought, feeling and will, thereby revealing the necessary stages of rational education. Starting with what is given in every area of the psychic life, they point the way to what should be. Perhaps the best and most popular representative of this school of psychological thought is Professor Lindner, whose work is distinguished by great pedagogical skill both in the formulation and in the organization of practical skill. So one of the reasons for translating this book is so that English-speaking students may be able to drink from these living sources of psychological truth. While this book is a direct source of inspiration for the teacher, it is arguably the best introduction to the higher realms of thought ever written. There is a call for further study on almost every page, and the entire book is a beautiful illustration of the beauty and value of true philosophical inquiry. Starting with known and generally accepted facts, the subject develops step by step, with extensive and pertinent illustrations, always free from dogmatism or vague statements.