Philosophical Letters: or, modest Reflections upon some Opinions in Natural Philosophy — John Shaqi
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
Concerning Addition and Subtraction, wherein your _Author_ sayes
Reasoning consists, I grant, that it is an act of Reasoning, yet it
doth not make Sense or Reason, which is Life and Knowledge, but Sense
and Reason which is self-motion, makes addition and subtraction of
several Parts of matter; for had matter not self-motion, it could not
divide nor compose, nor make such varieties, without great and lingring
retardments, if not confusion. Wherefore all, what is made in Nature,
is made by self-moving matter, which self-moving matter doth not at all
times move regularly, but often irregularly, which causes false Logick,
false Arithmetick, and the like; and if there be not a certainty in
these self-motions or actions of Nature, much less in Art, which is
but a secundary action; and therefore, neither speech, words, nor
exterior objects cause Understanding or Reason. And although many parts
of the Rational and Sensitive Matter joyned into one, may be stronger
by their association, and over-power other parts that are not so well
knit and united, yet these are not the less pure; onely these Parts and
Motions being not equal in several Creatures, make their Knowledge and
Reason more or less: For, when a man hath more Rational Matter well
regulated, and so more Wisdom then an other, that same man may chance
to over-power the other, whose Rational Matter is more irregular, but
yet not so much by strength of the united Parts, as by their subtilty;
for the Rational Matter moving regularly, is more strong with subtilty,
then the sensitive with force; so that Wisdom is stronger then
Life, being more pure, and so more active; for in my opinion, there
is a degree of difference between Life and Knowledge, as my Book of
_Philosophical Opinions_ will inform you.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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