Spiritual Science and the Future of Humanity
GA 69e
18 February 1913, Stuttgart
About Horses That Can Count and Calculate
The question has been raised as to what lies behind the now so famous horses of Elberfeld which are able to count and do sums, and also possess other kinds of wisdom. Let me say from the very outset that I am not personally acquainted with the facts relating to the horses of Elberfeld that can calculate and do other tricks, for I have never been there, but I have made the acquaintance of Herr von Osten's “clever Hans”, a horse similar to those of Elberfeld which caused such a sensation in Berlin for a long time.
Indeed, it is surprising to see that while the whole of Berlin was at that time really interested in “clever Hans” for quite a long while, this interest should have died out so soon. The short duration of people's interest in something is a very characteristic feature of the present time.
Very interesting experiences could be made in connection with this horse. To begin with, all who heard of such things for the first time were quite skeptical, until they decided to observe these facts more closely, since the information concerning the fine things performed by “clever Hans” seemed to be quite reliable. He could do excellent sums, extract roots, etc.; he also found out the right card in a card trick, and so forth. In fact, we may say that gradually it became impossible to deny that something extraordinary was taking place. The owner of the horse called in strangers, experts, trainers, tamers of wild animals, etc. He also invited a commission of philosophers. Finally a pamphlet appeared, written by a philologist, a certain Dr. Pfunge—a most interesting pamphlet. After rejecting everything that the people who were present had said, the philologist came to the following conclusion: “It is of course obvious that ‘clever Hans’ cannot do sums, but Herr von Osten, or others who set him a task, influence him in some way.” And these influences had to be explained as materialistically as possible. That an influence can actually pass from soul to soul was something which modern professors no longer admit, for philologists have already entirely forgotten the soul. Our honorable philologists nevertheless admit that there can be certain influences—namely, influences which are as materialistic as possible. They assume, for instance, that a person may make an almost imperceptible gesture, which influences the animal. For instance, the animal may be set the task of finding out the square root of 16. Very slight gestures are made, expressing what the person thinks, expressing what the square root of 16 is. The horse perceives these gestures and by stamping his foot it indicates the square root of 16. This explanation is entirely realistic. Herr von Osten then called in animal experts. These experts, versed in every trick and gesture of the finest kind, were not able to perceive anything of the fine shadings which according to the professors, might influence the animal. These people who were really able to understand how an animal obeys at a glance, could not discover such gestures, so that we must say: These almost imperceptible gestures can only be perceived by someone who has worked for years in a physiological or philological laboratory! For the deep explanation had been given that only a professor who has worked for years in a laboratory can perceive what horses are able to perceive! Such an explanation, however, rescued materialism. This is truly a curiosity—to question every psychic influence, and to assert that a horse knows immediately when a professor learns to know after years of work in a physiological laboratory!
This question should however be considered more seriously. I should like to explain to you the conclusion which I have reached. Nevertheless I must point out that what I shall now tell you must be described absolutely as a hypothesis, just because this question is so extraordinarily complicated. Nevertheless it is a hypothesis, but I think that further a occult investigations will support it. If we consider the whole matter, we shall find that it is really a most complicated thing, and we shall come across extraordinary phenomena. Consequently I have the courage merely to draw up a kind of hypothesis, and occult hypothesis concerning the whole question, as the result of observations which I was able to make while watching Herr von Osten at work with his horse. I feel sure that later on this hypothesis will be confirmed by a occult investigation.
I discovered that mathematical thinking, the whole mathematical conception, is something far more objective than one generally thinks. The whole mathematical thinking is something which works like a kind of automaton, namely in the following way: The foundation of mathematical thinking can be explained by the fact that all mathematical concepts are contained in the structure of the whole earth. The earth is not that undifferentiated body theoretically thought out by people. It has an extraordinarily fine structure and influences from inside the beings inhabiting it. In a human being, the mathematical ability is principally dependent on three channels situated in the middle ear, which are connected with the sense of equilibrium. In the case of man there is a kind of connection between this organ situated in the ear and the whole nervous system constituting the spinal cord. If a human being arrives at mathematical conclusions, we are able to observe that he is really a spectator to a far greater extent than we generally imagine. For mathematical conclusions are formed, as it were, by themselves, and particularly in the sphere of mathematics the human being is more a kind of automaton. Hence it is a peculiar feature of mathematics that we really feel impelled to develop it as it were a kind of automaton. In our system we count as far as 10. Then we count the tens, etc. In this way a whole system of reckoning becomes inwardly automatized. Numbers really contain an inner system of laws which is connected with the Earth through a kind of mathematical automatism. This automatism does not work so strongly in man, because the human being is lifted out of it through his power of judgment, which keeps in check the whole mathematical automatism. Now it is strange to see that in “clever Hans” the whole spiritual atmosphere of the horse acts in such a way that at the slightest instigation, with the slightest tap, the whole atmosphere of the earth is struck, as it were ... Through the different positions of his spine, as compared with man's, the horse participates in the life of the earth, and the force which really thinks in him is, after all, the earth. The earth thinks through the whole instrument of the horse. Thus we really obtain the following impression! On the one hand is Herr von Osten, who does not need to calculate the various mathematical problems which he gives to the horse, but merely touches upon something mathematical. In doing so, he becomes incorporated within the mathematical automaton of the earth. This passes into the horse's spine and the horse is then able to express it quite independently through its soul life. But the earth is the one that transmits this soul element. Never have I become aware so strongly of the way in which the mathematical automaton can be transmitted, as in the case of “clever Hans.”
Thus we may see the cooperation between Herr von Osten's soul-element and the soul-element of the whole earth. I could not help thinking: If we run a wire to the ground, in the case of a telegraphic apparatus, all we need is another wire in order to connect it with another apparatus. Now the earth cooperates as a whole, as a totality. All we need is to install the connecting wire, in which case the earth as well will be involved as an apparatus. In the mechanical sphere the result would be that a definite signal which retransmits through the keys of one apparatus will appear again as a signal on the other apparatus. But in the case of what fills the earth, in the case of the mathematical automaton, there will be a connection which may really be termed as subterranean, a kind of connecting wire between Earth and the one who is in contact with the horse. The horse must allow itself to be connected with the whole apparatus of the earth.
Let me add, for the sake of comparison, something which I was able to observe in this connection many years ago. I made the acquaintance of several small boys—not all at once, but successively. One of them was a very stupid boy in every subject, but if he was given an arithmetical example—for instance, to extract the root of a number consisting of six or seven figures—he was able to solve this problem. He could multiply very large numbers together. A famous professor of mathematics once set him the task of raising a number of four digits to square. The professor had to work out the solution, but the boy was able to answer almost immediately, and had no difficulty in extracting the roots of numbers consisting of 10 and even 12 figures. Suddenly he became restless. He could not reckon anymore. In fact, he became quite wild. He felt that he was being connected in a very strange way with the mathematical automaton. Why? Because the professor had raised a wrong number to the square.
It must in fact be considered that the earth is the chief factor in this particular spiritual activity. If we succeed in bringing about a contact through the special psychic connection existing between the trainer and the horse, which has a certain amount of affection for the man, no thinking will then be required in order to solve a problem which has been set. The horse may be given in arithmetical problem, and it is not necessary at all that it should pass through its head. The only thing that will be required is to teach the horse the programme; this will be enough, for the whole of mathematics is a totality—consequently, all roads, squares, etc. are connected. And just because there is this connection between all mathematical things, it will be sufficient to give the animal a tip, if we have trained it up to the point of being able to express something; the rest will come by itself. This is based on the connection between the human soul and the animal soul. The earth has a transmitting role. In its conscious life the animal is merely concerned with sweets which it receives, and while its whole attention in the conscious life goes toward the sugar, the most curious things take place in its subconscious life. But all these processes take place entirely in its subconscious regions. In its consciousness the horse knows nothing of all this. Besides, owing to the delight it feels in munching constantly at the sugar, it has no time to observe anything else.
XXIV. Wahrheiten Der Geisteswissenschaft — Einiges Über «Rechnende Pferde»
Fragenbeantwortung
Es ist die Frage gestellt worden, was hinter den ja jetzt so berühmt gewordenen rechnenden Pferden und den mit sonstigen Weisheiten auftretenden Pferden von Elberfeld steckt. Ich bemerke von vorneherein: Die Geschehnisse der rechnenden und Sonstiges ausführenden Pferde von Elberfeld sind mir nicht bekannt, da ich nicht dort war, wohl aber habe ich das ganz ähnliche Pferd des Herrn von Osten kennengelernt, den «klugen Hans», der ja lange Zeit in Berlin so großes Aufsehen gemacht hat. Man könnte sich eigentlich ein wenig verwundern darüber, dass, während dazumal wirklich ganz Berlin interessiert war an diesem «klugen Hans», dieses Interesse so bald hat ersterben können, im Grunde genommen. Die heutige Kurzlebigkeit des Interesses tritt da ganz besonders hervor. Man konnte da auch sonst allerlei Interessantes erleben. Zunächst stand jeder Mensch, der zum ersten Male davon hörte, solchen Dingen ganz ablehnend gegenüber; bis man sich entschlossen hat, den Tatsachen näher zu treten, weil tatsächlich recht glaubhafte Nachrichten vorlagen, dass der «kluge Hans» gute Sachen leistet, die nur dem Grade nach überholt sind. Er hat auch schon gute Rechnungen ausgeführt, Wurzeln ausgezogen und so weiter; er fand auch in einem Kartenspiel die richtige Karte und so weiter. Man kann sagen, dass es nach und nach doch unmöglich wurde zu leugnen, dass da etwas Besonderes vorlag. Der Besitzer hat sich an fremde Leute gewandt, hat Sachverständige aufgerufen, Tierbändiger, und so weiter. Eine Kommission von philosophischen Gelehrten war geladen.
Und da ist zuletzt eine Schrift hervorgegangen, die ein gewisser Dr. [Pfungst] geschrieben hat. Es ist das ein recht interessantes Stück. Nachdem er alles abgelehnt hat, was die anwesenden Leute gesagt haben, ist der Philologe auf Folgendes verfallen: Selbstverständlich, wirklich rechnen kann der «kluge Hans» nicht, aber er bekommt Einflüsse von Herrn von Osten oder andern, die ihm die Aufgabe vorlegen. Und diese Einflüsse mussten jetzt in möglichst materialistischer Weise erklärt sein.
Dass wirklich etwas von Seele zu Seele hätte wirken können, das war für die Professoren der heutigen Zeit nicht mehr annehmbar; denn die Seele haben die Philologen von heute schon ganz vergessen. Nun, Einflüsse nahmen die Herren Philologen doch an, und zwar möglichst materialistisch geartete Einflüsse. Sie nahmen an, dass die Menschen ganz feine Gebärden machen, und dass diese dann übergehen auf das Tier. Zum Beispiel man gibt dem Tier auf, die Wurzel von 16 zu finden. Man macht feine Gebärden, die drücken aus, was man im Sinn hat, drücken aus, was die Wurzel von 16 ist; diese Gebärden nimmt das Pferd wahr und gibt durch Klopfen mit dem Fuß die Wurzel von 16 an. Das ist ganz realistisch angegeben worden.
Nun nahm man wirkliche Tierkenner zu Hilfe. Da konnten dann Tierkenner, die sich sehr gut verstanden auf die Feinheiten der Gebärden, nichts herausbringen von den Feinheiten, die auf das Tier Einfluss gewinnen könnten. Die Leute, die wirklich verstanden, wie das Tier auf den Blick folgt, die konnten nichts finden von solchen Gebärden. Sodass man sagen muss: Nur dann kann ein Mensch die Gebärden wahrnehmen, wenn er jahrelang gearbeitet hat in einem physiologischen oder philologischen Laboratorium. Man hatte die geistvolle Erklärung, dass nur ein Privatdozent, der jahrelang im Laboratorium gearbeitet hat, dasjenige wahrnehmen kann, was die Rosse wahrnehmen. Aber der Materialismus war gerettet. Es ist wirklich ein Kabinettstück, dass man in Abrede stellt jeden psychischen Einfluss, aber dass jetzt schon das Ross dasjenige wissen kann, wozu man nur durch jahrelanges Arbeiten im physiologischen Laboratorium kommen kann.
Man muss die Sache ernster nehmen. Dasjenige, was sich mir ergeben hat, möchte ich versuchen Ihnen vorzutragen; aber ich muss durchaus darauf hinweisen, dass das, was ich jetzt zu sagen habe, weil es eben so außerordentlich kompliziert ist, durchaus nicht anders zu bezeichnen ist denn als Hypothese; als eine Hypothese allerdings, von der ich glaube, dass die weiteren okkulten Forschungen sie bewahrheiten werden. Wenn man die Sache so betrachtet, zeigt es sich, dass sie wirklich außerordentlich kompliziert ist, dass man es da wirklich zu tun hat mit Erscheinungen höchst merkwürdiger Art, und dass ich eigentlich mir nur getraue, eine Art Hypothese, okkulter Hypothese über die Sache aufzustellen, die ich mir bilden kann aus den Apergus, die ich machen konnte, als ich sah, wie Herr von Osten mit dem Pferde zusammen wirkte. Ich glaube sicher, sie wird später bestätigt werden durch die okkulte Forschung.
Da zeigte sich mir nämlich, dass das mathematische Denken, das ganze mathematische Vorstellen etwas viel Objektiveres ist, als man eigentlich gewöhnlich denkt; dass das ganze mathematische Vorstellen eigentlich etwas ist, was wie eine Art Automat wirkt, und zwar so: Die Gründe für dieses mathematische Vorstellen sind, dass das gesamte mathematische Vorstellen in der Konstitution der ganzen Erde liegt. Die Erde ist nämlich nicht jenes undifferenzierte Wesen, als welches die Menschen theoretisch sich die Erde vorstellen. Sie ist außerordentlich feingegliedert und wirkt von innen heraus auf die Wesen, die sie bewohnen.
Nun hängt beim Menschen die mathematische Begabung vorzugsweise ab von den drei Kanälen im Mittelohr, die mit dem Gleichgewicht etwas zu tun haben, und es besteht für den Menschen eine Art von Verbindung zwischen diesem Organ im Ohr und zwischen dem gesamten das Rückenmark konstituierenden Nervensystem. Wenn der Mensch nämlich mathematische Urteile fällt, so können wir sehen, dass er viel mehr, als man gewöhnlich glaubt, Zuschauer ist. Die mathematischen Urteile machen sich vielmehr selber, und der Mensch ist gerade auf dem Gebiete der Mathematik mehr eine Art Automat.
Daher gehört es auch zu den Eigentümlichkeiten der Mathematik, dass man wirklich den Drang hat, die ganze Mathematik zu einer Art Automat zu gestalten. Man zählt nur bis zehn in unserem Zahlensystem, dann zählt man die Zehner und so weiter. Dadurch wird das ganze Rechnen innerlich automatisiert. Es besteht wirklich eine innere Gesetzmäßigkeit in den Zahlen, die in einer Art mathematischem Automatismus an die Erde gebunden ist. Beim Menschen wirkt dieser Automatismus nicht so stark, weil der Mensch herausgehoben ist aus diesem Automatismus und die Urteilskraft doch eintritt und niederhält den ganzen mathematischen Automatismus.
Nun ist es merkwürdig, wie da die ganze geistige Atmosphäre des Pferdes bei dem «klugen Hans» so wirkt, dass dadurch, dass nur irgendetwas angetippt wird bei diesem Pferd, gleichsam die ganze Erden-Sphäre angeschlagen wird ... und durch die andere Lage seines Rückenmarkes im Vergleich zur Rückenmarkslage beim Menschen, lebt dieses Pferd das Leben der Erde mit. Und was eigentlich nun denkt, das ist im Grunde genommen die Erde; die denkt durch den ganzen Apparat des Pferdes. Sodass man wirklich den Eindruck hat: Man hat es zu tun auf der einen Seite mit dem Herrn von Osten, der nicht braucht die einzelnen Rechen-Exempel durchzurechnen, sondern der nur überhaupt etwas Mathematisches antippt; dadurch gliedert er sich in den mathematischen Automaten der Erde ein; der überträgt sich auf das Rückenmark des Pferdes, und das kann ihn jetzt ganz selbstständig zum Ausdruck bringen, ganz durch sein Seelisches, aber die Erde ist die Vermittlerin des Seelischen. Niemals ist mir die Vermittlung des mathematischen Automaten so stark zum Bewusstsein gekommen wie in diesem Falle vom «klugen Hans».
So zeigt sich dieses Zusammenwirken des Seelischen des Herrn von Osten mit dem Seelischen der ganzen Erde. Ich musste unwillkürlich daran denken: Wenn man bei einem telegraphischen Apparat die Leitung bis hin zur Erde macht, dann braucht man nur eine Leitung zum andern Apparat. Die Erde wirkt als Ganzes mit. Man hat nur nötig, den verbindenden Draht zu ziehen: Dann ist da die Erde der mittuende Apparat. Auf mechanischem Gebiet wirkt es so, dass, wenn man in den Tasten des einen Apparates das betreffende Zeichen angibt, dann kommt das Zeichen am andern Apparat wieder. Aber wenn man es zu tun hat mit dem, wovon die Erde erfüllt ist, mit dem mathematischen Automat, dann bildet sich eine Verbindung, die man wirklich unterirdisch nennen kann, eine Art von Leitung zwischen der Erde und dem, der Kontakt hat mit dem Pferde. Das Tier muss sich einschalten lassen in den ganzen Apparat der Erde.
Zum Vergleich sei noch herangezogen, was ich vor vielen Jahren hierüber habe beobachten können. Ich lernte mehrere kleine Buben kennen; nacheinander, nicht auf einmal. Einer von ihnen war auf allen Gebieten ein recht dummer Kerl. Aber er konnte, wenn man ihm eine Aufgabe, ein Rechen-Exempel gab, zum Beispiel eine Wurzel aus einer sechs-, siebenstelligen Zahl, diese Aufgabe lösen. Er konnte große Zahlenreihen miteinander multiplizieren. Ein bedeutender Mathematik-Professor hat ihm eine Aufgabe gegeben: eine vierstellige Zahl zum Quadrat zu erheben. Der Professor hatte die Aufgabe vorbereitet. Der Bube hat rasch geantwortet, hat aus zehn- bis zwölfstelligen Zahlen Wurzeln ausgezogen. Auf einmal wurde er unruhig; es ging nicht, er wurde wild; er fühlte sich in diesen mathematischen Automat so merkwürdig hineingestellt: Der Professor hatte eine falsche Zahl zum Quadrat erhoben.
Es ist tatsächlich zu berücksichtigen, dass für diese geistige Tätigkeit die Erde maßgebend ist. Und wenn es uns gelingt, durch besondere psychische Zusammenhänge, die bestehen zwischen dem Dresseur des Pferdes, das mit einer gewissen Liebe an dem Menschen hängt, den Kontakt herbeizuführen, dann ist nicht etwa ein Nachdenken nötig, um die gestellte Aufgabe zu lösen. Dann kann ein Rechen-Exempel aufgegeben werden, welches das Pferd nicht im Kopf hat. Wenn man dem Pferd nur das Programm beigebracht hat: Das genügt, weil die ganze Mathematik ein Ganzes ist, weil daher auch alle Wurzeln im Zusammenhange stehen. Weil alles Mathematische zusammenhängt, so braucht man, wenn man das Tier dahingebracht hat, irgendetwas zum Ausdruck zu bringen, nur anzuschlagen, und es kommt das heraus, was man anschlägt. Das beruht auf dem Zusammenhang zwischen der Menschen- und der Tierseele; die Erde hat die Vermittlung. Im Bewussten beschäftigt sich das Tier mit den Bonbons, die man ihm reicht; während es im bewussten Leben nur dem Zuckerl lebt, bringt es im Unterbewussten die kuriosesten Sachen hervor. Die ganzen Vorgänge vollziehen sich durchaus in den unterbewussten Regionen. Das Pferd in seinem Bewusstsein weiß von dem allem nichts. Es hat auch nicht Zeit, vor dem Entzücken, das es ihm macht, fortwährend am Zuckerl zu knappern, noch etwas außerdem zu beobachten.
XXIV. Truths of Spiritual Science — A Few Words About “Calculating Horses”
Questions & Answers
The question has been asked what lies behind the now famous calculating horses and other wise horses of Elberfeld. Let me say from the outset that I am not familiar with the events surrounding the calculating and other performing horses of Elberfeld, as I was not there, but I did get to know Mr. von Osten's very similar horse, “Clever Hans,” who caused such a sensation in Berlin for a long time. One might actually be a little surprised that, while the whole of Berlin was really interested in this “clever Hans” at the time, this interest died down so quickly, basically. The short-lived nature of interest today is particularly evident here. There were also all kinds of other interesting things to experience there. At first, everyone who heard about it for the first time was quite dismissive of such things, until it was decided to take a closer look at the facts, because there was actually quite credible information that “Clever Hans” was doing good things that were only surpassed in degree. He had also already performed good calculations, extracted roots, and so on; he also found the right card in a card game, and so on. It can be said that it gradually became impossible to deny that something special was going on. The owner turned to strangers, called in experts, animal tamers, and so on. A commission of philosophical scholars was invited.
And finally, a paper was published, written by a certain Dr. [Pfungst]. It is a very interesting piece. After rejecting everything that the people present had said, the philologist came to the following conclusion: Of course, “Clever Hans” cannot really calculate, but he is influenced by Mr. von Osten or others who present him with the task. And these influences now had to be explained in the most materialistic way possible.
The idea that something could really have worked from soul to soul was no longer acceptable to the professors of today, because today's philologists have completely forgotten about the soul. Well, the philologists did assume influences, and influences of a materialistic nature as far as possible. They assumed that humans make very subtle gestures and that these are then transferred to the animal. For example, one gives the animal the task of finding the root of 16. One makes subtle gestures that express what one has in mind, express what the root of 16 is; the horse perceives these gestures and indicates the root of 16 by tapping its foot. This has been stated quite realistically.
Now, real animal experts were called in to help. But even these experts, who were very well versed in the subtleties of gestures, could not come up with any subtleties that could influence the animal. The people who really understood how the animal follows the gaze could not find any such gestures. So one has to say: only someone who has worked for years in a physiological or philological laboratory can perceive the gestures. The ingenious explanation was that only a private lecturer who has worked in the laboratory for years can perceive what the horses perceive. But materialism was saved. It is truly a feat to deny any psychic influence, but now the horse can know what can only be achieved through years of work in a physiological laboratory.
One must take the matter more seriously. I would like to try to explain to you what has become clear to me, but I must point out that what I am about to say, because it is so extraordinarily complicated, can only be described as a hypothesis; a hypothesis, however, which I believe will be confirmed by further occult research. When you look at it this way, it becomes clear that it is indeed extremely complicated, that we are really dealing with phenomena of a most remarkable nature, and that I actually only dare to put forward a kind of hypothesis, occult hypothesis about the matter, which I can form from the apergus I was able to make when I saw how Mr. von Osten worked with the horse. I am sure that it will later be confirmed by occult research.
For it became clear to me that mathematical thinking, the whole of mathematical imagination, is something much more objective than is commonly thought; that the whole of mathematical imagination is actually something that works like a kind of automaton, and indeed in this way: the reasons for this mathematical imagination are that the entire mathematical imagination lies in the constitution of the whole earth. The earth is not the undifferentiated entity that people theoretically imagine it to be. It is extraordinarily finely structured and acts from within on the beings that inhabit it.
Now, in humans, mathematical ability depends primarily on the three canals in the middle ear, which have something to do with balance, and there is a kind of connection for humans between this organ in the ear and the entire nervous system that constitutes the spinal cord. When humans make mathematical judgments, we can see that they are much more spectators than is commonly believed. Mathematical judgments are made by themselves, and humans are more like automatons, especially in the field of mathematics.
Therefore, it is also one of the peculiarities of mathematics that one really has the urge to turn the whole of mathematics into a kind of automaton. One only counts to ten in our number system, then one counts the tens and so on. This automates the entire calculation process internally. There really is an inner lawfulness in numbers, which is bound to the earth in a kind of mathematical automatism. This automatism does not have such a strong effect on humans because humans are removed from this automatism and their power of judgment intervenes and suppresses the entire mathematical automatism.
Now it is strange how the whole spiritual atmosphere of the horse affects “clever Hans” in such a way that, when something is tapped on this horse, the whole sphere of the earth is struck, as it were ... and because of the different position of its spinal cord compared to that of humans, this horse lives the life of the earth. And what it actually thinks is, in essence, the earth; it thinks through the entire apparatus of the horse. So that one really has the impression that, on the one hand, one is dealing with the Lord of the East, who does not need to calculate the individual arithmetic examples, but only taps something mathematical; in this way, he integrates himself into the mathematical automatism of the earth; which is transferred to the horse's spinal cord, and the horse can now express it completely independently, entirely through its soul, but the earth is the mediator of the soul. Never has the mediation of the mathematical automaton come so strongly to my consciousness as in this case of “Clever Hans.”
This shows the interaction between the soul of Mr. von Osten and the soul of the whole Earth. I couldn't help thinking: if you connect a telegraph machine to the Earth, you only need one wire to the other machine. The Earth acts as a whole. All you need to do is pull the connecting wire, and then the Earth is the mediating machine. In the mechanical realm, when you press the relevant key on one device, the signal is received by the other device. But when you are dealing with what fills the earth, with the mathematical automaton, a connection is formed that can truly be called subterranean, a kind of line between the earth and the one who is in contact with the horse. The animal must allow itself to be connected to the entire apparatus of the earth.
For comparison, let us consider what I observed many years ago. I got to know several little boys, one after the other, not all at once. One of them was a rather stupid fellow in all areas. But when he was given a task, a calculation example, for example, the square root of a six- or seven-digit number, he was able to solve it. He could multiply large series of numbers together. A distinguished mathematics professor gave him a task: to square a four-digit number. The professor had prepared the task. The boy answered quickly, extracting roots from ten- to twelve-digit numbers. Suddenly he became restless; it didn't work, he became wild; he felt strangely placed in this mathematical automaton: the professor had squared the wrong number.
It must indeed be taken into account that the earth is decisive for this mental activity. And if we succeed in establishing contact through special psychological connections that exist between the trainer of the horse, which is attached to humans with a certain love, then no thinking is necessary to solve the task at hand. Then a calculation example can be given that the horse does not have in its head. If the horse has only been taught the program, that is sufficient, because all mathematics is a whole, and therefore all roots are connected. Because everything mathematical is connected, once the animal has been taught to express something, one only needs to strike a chord, and the result will be what one strikes. This is based on the connection between the human and animal souls; the earth acts as a mediator. Consciously, the animal is preoccupied with the sweets you give it; while in conscious life it lives only for the candy, in its subconscious it produces the most curious things. All these processes take place entirely in the subconscious regions. The horse is completely unaware of all this in its conscious mind. It also has no time to observe anything else, as it is too busy gnawing on the candy, which gives it such delight.