Ancient and Modern Celebrated Freethinkers: Reprinted From an English Work, Entitled "Half-Hours With The Freethinkers." — John Shaqi
Ancient and Modern Celebrated Freethinkers: Reprinted From an English Work, Entitled "Half-Hours With The Freethinkers."Bradlaugh, Charles
Religion
Ancient and Modern Celebrated Freethinkers: Reprinted From an English Work, Entitled "Half-Hours With The Freethinkers."
Bradlaugh, Charles
Rationalists -- Biography
which is but an artificial man though of greater stature and strength
than the natural, for whose protection and defence it was intended,
and the sovereignty of which is an artificial soul, as giving life and
motion to the whole body. To describe the nature of this artificial man,
I will consider,
"1st. The _matter_ thereof, and the _artificer_, both which is man.
"2nd. _How_, and by what _covenants_ it is made, what are the _rights_
and _just_ power or authority of a sovereign; and what it is that
_preserveth_ and dissolveth it.
"3rd. What is a Christian Commonwealth.
"Lastly, what is the kingdom of darkness.
"The first chapter treats of 'Senses.' Concerning the thoughts of man, I
will consider them first singly, and afterwards in train, or dependence
upon one another. Singly, they are every one a representation, or
appearance, of some quality or accident of a body without us, which is
commonly called an object. Which object worketh on the eyes, ears, and
other parts of a man's body, and by diversity of working, produceth
diversity of appearances. The original of them all is that which we call
sense, for there is no conception in a man's mind, which hath not at
first totally or by parts been begotten upon the organs of sense; the
rest are derived from that original."
Speaking of "Imagination," Hobbes says, "That when a thing lies still,
unless somewhat else stir it, it will lie still forever, is a truth no
one doubts of. But that when a thing is in motion, it will eternally
be in motion, unless somewhat else stay it, though the reason be the
same--namely, that nothing can change itself--is not so easily assented
to. For men measure not only other men, but all other things, by
themselves; and because they find themselves subject after motion to
pain and lassitude, think everything else grows weary of motion, and
seeks repose of its own accord--little considering whether it be not
some other motion, wherein that desire of rest they find in themselves
consisteth.... When a body is once in motion, it moveth (unless
something else hinder it) eternally, and whatsoever hindereth it, cannot
in an instant, but in time, and by degrees, quite extinguish it; and
as we see in the water, though the wind cease, the waves give not over
rolling for a long time after; so also it happeneth in that motion which
is made in the internal parts of man, then, when he sees, dreams, etc.
For after the object is removed, or the eye shut, we still retain an
image of the thing seen, though more obscure than when we see it....
The decay of sense in men waking, is not the decay of the motion made
in sense, but an obscuring of it, in such manner as the light of the sun
obscureth the light of the stars; which stars do no less exercise their
virtue, by which they are visible in the day, than in the night. But
because amongst many strokes which our eyes, ears and other organs
receive from external bodies, the predominant only is sensible;
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