"Mental events, it is said, are not passive happenings but the acts of a subject"

Hermann Ebbinghaus suggests that mental events are not merely occurrences that happen to a person as if they were uninvolved observers, but are instead actively generated by the individual, the subject. This perspective emphasizes the active participation and agency of the mind in shaping thoughts, perceptions, emotions, and memories rather than imagining the mind as a passive recipient of external impressions.

Such a view aligns with a tradition in philosophy and psychology that challenges the notion of the mind as a blank slate. Instead, it holds that the mind plays a crucial, constructive role in experiences. When we perceive, imagine, remember, or make decisions, we are not simply processing incoming data. We are intentionally involved in selecting, organizing, and interpreting information, infusing it with personal meaning and relevance. Each mental event is marked by a direction or intention stemming from the subject, the conscious agent, who engages with the experience.

By stressing that mental events are acts of a subject, Ebbinghaus draws attention to the subjectivity inherent in experience. Memory, for example, does not function as a mechanical recorder; rather, the act of remembering entails the subject's selective recall, reconstruction, and emotional response. Similarly, attention is an active orientation towards particular aspects of the environment, determined by goals, interests, and expectations.

This idea also counters purely behaviorist accounts of the mind, which tend to reduce psychological phenomena to a chain of stimuli and responses. Ebbinghaus's assertion restores the importance of inner life and subjective processes, affirming the autonomy and responsibility of individuals regarding their mental activities. Fundamentally, it invites a deeper appreciation for the unique, creative, and participatory nature of conscious life, where each person is not only shaped by the world but also engages with and shapes their experience through their mental acts.