The Catholic World, Vol. 07, April 1868 to September, 1868Various
Religion
The Catholic World, Vol. 07, April 1868 to September, 1868
Various
Catholic Church -- Periodicals
Cousin's pantheism follows necessarily from two doctrines that
he, from first to last, maintains. First, there is only one
substance. Second, Creation is necessary. He says in the
_Avertissement_ to the third edition of his _Philosophical
Fragments_ that he only in rare passages speaks of substance
as one, and one only, and when he does so, he uses the word, not
in its ordinary sense, but in the sense of Plato, of the most
illustrious doctors of the church, and of the Holy Scripture in
that sublime word, I AM that I AM; that is, in the sense of
eternal, necessary, and self-existent Being. But this is not the
case. The passages in which he asserts there is and can be only
one substance, are not rare, but frequent, and to understand it
in any of these passages in any but its ordinary sense, would
make him write nonsense. He repeats a hundred times that there
is, and can be, only one substance, and says, expressly, that
substance is one or there is no substance, and that relative
substances contradict and destroy the very idea of substance. He
is talking, he says in his defence, of absolute substance. Be it
so; interpret him accordingly. "Besides the one only absolute
substance, there is and can be no substance, that is, no other
one only absolute substance." Think you M. Cousin writes in that
fashion? But we fully discussed this matter in our former
article, and as the reviewer discreetly refrains from even
attempting to show that we unjustly accused him of maintaining
that there is and can be but one substance, we need not attempt
any additional proof. The second doctrine, that creation is
necessary, the reviewer concedes and asserts, "In Cousin, as we
have attempted to explain, creation is not only possible, but
NECESSARY," repeating Cousin's own words.
"As to Cousin's pantheism, if any one is disposed to believe
that the systems of Spinoza and of Cousin have anything in
common, we can only recommend to him a diligent study of both
writers, freedom from prejudice, and a distrust of his own
hastily formed opinions. It is too large a question to enter
upon here, but we would like to ask the critic how he
reconciles the two philosophers on the great question he last
considered--the creation. In Spinoza, there is no creation. The
universe is only the various modes and attributes of substance,
subsisting with it from eternity in a necessary relation. In
Cousin, creation, as we have attempted to explain, is 'not only
possible but necessary.' The relation between the universe and
the supreme Substance is not a necessary relation of substance
and attribute, but a contingent relation of cause and effect,
produced by a creative fiat." (P. 545.)
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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