The Physiology of Taste; Or, Transcendental GastronomyBrillat-Savarin
Philosophy
The Physiology of Taste; Or, Transcendental Gastronomy
Brillat-Savarin
Gastronomy
In the year VIII (1800,) I went to bed as usual and woke up about
one, as I was in the habit of doing. I found myself in a strange
state of cerebral excitement, my preception was keen, my thoughts
profound; the sphere of my intelligence seemed increased, I sat up
and my eyes were affected with a pale, vaporous, uncertain light,
which, however, did, not enable me to distinguish objects
accurately.
Did I only consult the crowd of ideas which succeeded so rapidly,
I might have fancied that this state lasted many hours; I am
satisfied, however, that it did not last more than half an hour,
an external accident, unconnected with volition, however, aroused
me from it, and I was recalled to the things of earth.
When the luminous apparition disappeared, I became aware of a
sense of dryness, and, in fact, regained my waking faculties. As I
was now wide awake, my memory retained a portion of the ideas
(indistinctly) which crossed my mind.
The first ideas had time as their subject. It seemed to me that
the past, present and future, became identical, were narrowed down
to a point, so that it was as easy to look forward into the
future, as back into the past. This is all I remember of this
first intuition, which was almost effaced by subsequent ones.
Attention was then directed to the senses, which I followed in the
order of their perfection, and fancying that those should be
examined which were internal as well as external, I began to
follow them out.
I found three, and almost four, when I fell again to earth.
1. Compassion is a sensation we feel about the heart when we see
another suffer.
2. Predilection is a feeling which attracts us not only to an
object, but to all connected with it.
3. Sympathy is the feeling which attracts two beings together.
From the first aspect, one might believe that these two sentiments
are one, and the same. They cannot, however, be confounded; for
predilection is not always reciprocal, while sympathy, must be.
While thinking of compassion, I was led to a deduction I think
very just, and which at another time I would have overlooked. It
is the theory on which all legislation is founded.
DO AS YOU WILL BE DONE BY.
Alteri ne facias, quod tibi fieri non vis.
Such is an idea of the state in which I was, and to enjoy it
again, I would willingly relinquish a month of my life.
In bed we sleep comfortably, in a horizontal position and with the
head warm: Thoughts and ideas come quickly and abundantly;
expressions follow, and as to write one has to get up, we take off
the night cap and go to the desk.
Things all at once seem to change. The examination becomes cold,
the thread of our ideas is broken; we are forced to look with
trouble, for what was found so easily, and we are often forced to
postpone study to another day.
All this is easily explained by the effect produced on the brain
by a change of position. The influence of the physic and moral is
here experienced.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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