The Analogy of Religion to the Constitution and Course of Nature: To which are added two brief dissertations: I. On personal identity. II. On the nature of virtue.Butler, Joseph
Religion
The Analogy of Religion to the Constitution and Course of Nature: To which are added two brief dissertations: I. On personal identity. II. On the nature of virtue.
Butler, Joseph
Analogy (Religion); Apologetics -- Early works to 1800; Eschatology; Natural theology; Revelation
_Thirdly_, If we consider our body somewhat more distinctly, as made
up of organs and instruments of perception and of motion, it will
bring us to the same conclusion. Thus the common optical experiments
show, and even the observation how sight is assisted by glasses
shows, that we see with our eyes in the same sense as we see with
glasses. Nor is there any reason to believe, that we see with them in
any other sense; any other, I mean, which would lead us to think the
eye itself a percipient. The like is to be said of hearing; and our
feeling distant solid matter by means of something in our hand, seems
an instance of the like kind, as to the subject we are considering.
All these are instances of foreign matter, or such as is no part of
our body, being instrumental in preparing objects for, and conveying
them to, the perceiving power, in a manner similar to the manner in
which our organs of sense prepare and convey them. Both are in a like
way instruments of our receiving such ideas from external objects,
as the Author of nature appointed those external objects to be the
occasions of exciting in us. Glasses are evident instances of this;
namely of matter which is no part of our body, preparing objects for
and conveying them towards the perceiving power, in like manner as our
bodily organs do. And if we see with our eyes only in the same manner
as we do with glasses, the like may justly be concluded, from analogy,
of all our other senses. It is not intended, by any thing here said,
to affirm, that the whole apparatus of vision, or of perception by
any other sense, can be traced through all its steps, quite up to the
_living power_ of seeing, or perceiving: but that so far as it can be
traced by experimental observations, so far it appears, that our organs
of sense prepare and convey objects, in order to their being perceived,
in like manner as foreign matter does, without affording any shadow of
appearance, that they themselves perceive. And that we have no reason
to think our organs of sense percipients, is confirmed by instances of
persons losing some of them, the living beings themselves, their former
occupiers, remaining unimpaired. It is confirmed also by the experience
of dreams; by which we find we are at present possessed of a latent,
and what would be otherwise an unimagined unknown power of perceiving
sensible objects, in as strong and lively a manner without our external
organs of sense, as with them.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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