The Purpose of Existence, Popularly Considered, in Relation to the Origin, Development, and Destiny of the Human Mind ... |
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The Purpose of Existence, Popularly Considered, in Relation to the Origin ... J. Chapman No preview available - 2020 |
The Purpose of Existence: Popularly Considered, in Relation to the Origin ... John Chapman No preview available - 2009 |
Common terms and phrases
acquired action active admitted advance allowed animal applied attainment authority become believe body brought called carried cause CHAPTER character Christianity church classes combinations connection course delusion desire direct divine doctrines earth effect employed error established evident existence fact faculties feeling frame future give given Greek hand happiness Hebrew higher human ideas Imagination important impressions improvement influence inquiry instruction intelligent interests Jesus of Nazareth knowledge language learned less living look luxury marked matter means mind misery nature never object observe once operations opinion original pass perceived perception philosophy practical present principle produce progress prove raised reason received records regard religion says seen sense society spirit successful term things thought tion true truth turn universal wants wealth whole writer
Popular passages
Page 77 - That there should be more species of intelligent creatures above us than there are of sensible and material below us, is probable to me from hence, that in all the visible corporeal world, we see no chasms or gaps.*/ All quite down from us the descent is by easy steps, and a continued series of things, that in each remove differ very little one from the other.
Page 6 - IN the notice that our senses take of the constant vicissitude of things, we cannot but observe, that several particular, both qualities and substances, begin to exist ; and that they receive this their existence from the due application and operation of some other being1. From this observation we get our ideas of cause and effect...
Page 55 - But if you insist that the inference is made by a chain of reasoning, I desire you to produce that reasoning. The connexion between these propositions is not intuitive. There is required a medium, which may enable the mind to draw such an inference, if indeed it be drawn by reasoning and argument. What that medium is, I must confess, passes my comprehension ; and it is incumbent on those to produce it, who assert that it really exists, and is the origin of all our conclusions concerning matter of...
Page 78 - There are some brutes that seem to have as much knowledge and reason as some that are called men ; and the animal and vegetable kingdoms are so nearly joined that if you will take the lowest of one, and the highest of the other, there will scarce be perceived any great difference between them ; and...
Page 8 - It is confessed that the utmost effort of human reason is to reduce the principles productive of natural phenomena to a greater simplicity, and to resolve the many particular effects into a few general causes by means of reasonings from analogy, experience and observation.
Page 55 - ... ^As to past Experience, it can be allowed to give direct and certain information of those precise objects only, and that precise period of time, which fell under its cognizance : but why this experience should be extended to future times, and to other objects, which for aught we know, may be only in appearance similar; this is the main question on which I would insist.
Page 222 - Brennus and his army, which he concludes in the following words: "Thus was GOD pleased in a very extraordinary manner to execute his vengeance upon those sacrilegious wretches for the sake of religion in general, how false and idolatrous soever that particular religion was, for which that temple at Delphos was erected.
Page 66 - We ascribe to reason two offices, or two degrees. The first is to judge of things self-evident ; the second to draw conclusions that are not selfevident from those that are. The first of these is the province, and the sole province, of common sense ; and, therefore, it coincides with reason in its whole extent, and is only another name for one branch or one degree of reason.
Page 58 - ... particular ideas received from particular objects to become general; which is done by considering them as they are in the mind such appearances, separate from all other existences and the circumstances of real existence, as time, place, or any other concomitant ideas. This is called ABSTRACTION, whereby ideas taken from particular beings become general representatives of all of the same kind; and their names, general names, applicable to whatever exists conformable to such abstract ideas.
Page 49 - How far brutes partake in this faculty is not easy to determine. I imagine they have it not in any great degree : for though they probably have several ideas distinct enough, yet it seems to me...