Philosophical Letters: or, modest Reflections upon some Opinions in Natural PhilosophyNewcastle, Margaret Cavendish, Duchess of
Philosophy
Philosophical Letters: or, modest Reflections upon some Opinions in Natural Philosophy
Newcastle, Margaret Cavendish, Duchess of
Newcastle, William Cavendish, Duke of, 1592-1676; Philosophy
fortunes, &c. Which figuring and repeating is done actually, in and
by the Rational Matter, so that all the observation of the mind on
outward Objects is onely an actual repetition of the mind, as moving
in such or such figures and actions; and when the mind makes voluntary
Figures with those repeated Figures, and compares them together, this
comparing is Examination; and when several Figures agree and joyn,
it is Conclusion or Judgment: likewise doth Experience proceed from
repeating and comparing of several Figures in the Mind, and the more
several Figures are repeated and compared, the greater the experience
is. One thing more there is in the same Chapter, which I cannot let
pass without examination; Your Authour says, That _things Present
onely have a being in Nature, things Past onely a being in the Memory,
but things to come have no being at all_; Which how it possibly can
be, I am not able to conceive; for certainly, if nothing in nature is
lost or annihilated, what is past, and what is to come, hath as well
a being, as what is present; and, if that which is now, had its being
before, why may it not also have its being hereafter? It might as well
be said, that what is once forgot, cannot be remembred; for whatsoever
is in Nature, has as much a being as the Mind, and there is not any
action, or motion, or figure, in Nature, but may be repeated, that is,
may return to its former Figure, When it is altered and dissolved;
But by reason Nature delights in variety, repetitions are not so
frequently made, especially of those things or creatures, which are
composed by the sensitive corporeal motions in the inanimate part of
Matter, because they are not so easily wrought, as the Rational matter
can work upon its own parts, being more pliant in its self, then the
Inanimate matter is; And this is the reason, that there are so many
repetitions of one and the same Figure in the Rational matter, which
is the Mind, but seldom any in the Gross and inanimate part of Matter,
for Nature loves ease and freedom: But to conclude, _Madam_, I perceive
your Author confines Sense onely to Animal-kind, and Reason onely to
Man-kind: Truly, it is out of self-love, when one Creature prefers his
own Excellency before another, for nature being endued with self-love,
all Creatures have self-love too, because they are all Parts of Nature;
and when Parts agree or disagree, it is out of Interest and Self-love;
but Man herein exceeds all the rest, as having a supernatural Soul,
whose actions also are supernatural; To which I leave him, and rest,
Madam,
_Your faithful Friend,_
_and Servant._
[1] _Leviathan, part._ 1. _c._ 3.
[2] _part._ 1. _c._ 2.
[3] _ibid. c._ 3.
[4] _ibid._
IX.
_MADAM,_
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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