Grounds of Natural Philosophy: Divided into Thirteen Parts: The Second Edition, much altered from the First, which went under the Name of Philosophical and Physical OpinionsNewcastle, Margaret Cavendish, Duchess of
Philosophy
Grounds of Natural Philosophy: Divided into Thirteen Parts: The Second Edition, much altered from the First, which went under the Name of Philosophical and Physical Opinions
Newcastle, Margaret Cavendish, Duchess of
Physics -- Early works to 1800
As I have declared, there are (in my Opinion) Two sorts of Self-moving
Parts; the one Sensitive, the other Rational. The Rational parts
of my Mind, moving in the manner of Conception, or Inspection, did
occasion some Disputes, or Arguments, amongst those parts of my Mind.
The Arguments were these: _Whether there were degrees of Strength, as
there was of Purity, between their own sort, as, the Rational and the
Sensitive?_ The Major part of the Argument was,_ That Self-motion could
be but Self-motion: for, not any part of Nature could move beyond its
power of Self-motion_. But the Minor part argued, _That the Self-motion
of the Rational, might be_ _stronger than the Self-motion of the
Sensitive._ But the Major part was of the opinion, _That there could be
no degrees of the Power of Nature, or the Nature of Nature: for Matter,
which was Nature, could be but Self-moving, or not Self-moving; or
partly Self-moving, or not Self-moving._ But the Minor argued, _That
it was not against the nature of Matter to have degrees of Corporeal
Strength, as well as degrees of Purity: for, though there could not be
degrees of Purity amongst the Parts of the same sort, as amongst the
Parts of the Rational, or amongst the Parts of the Sensitive; yet, if
there were degrees of the Rational and Sensitive Parts, there might
be degrees of Strength._ The Major part said, _That if there were
degrees of Strength, it would make a Confusion, by reason there would
be no Agreement; for, the Strongest would be Tyrants to the Weakest,
in so much as they would never suffer those Parts to act methodically
or regularly._ But the Minor part said, _that they had observed, That
there was degrees of Strength amongst the Sensitive Parts._ The Major
part argued,_ That they had not degrees of Strength by Nature; but,
that the greater Number of Parts were stronger than a less Number of
Parts. Also, there were some sorts of Actions, that had advantage of
other sorts. Also, some sorts of Compositions are stronger than other;
not through the degrees of innate Strength, nor through the number
of Parts; but, through the manner and form of their Compositions, or
Productions._ Thus my Thoughts argued; but, after many Debates and
Disputes, at last my Rational Parts agreed, That, If there were degrees
of Strength, it could not be between the Parts of the same degree, or
sort; but, between the Rational and Sensitive; and if so, the Sensitive
was Stronger, being _less pure_; and the Rational was more Agil, being
_more pure_.
CHAP. XVI. Of Effects, and Cause.
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