Thoughts on Man, His Nature, Productions and Discoveries: Interspersed with Some Particulars Respecting the AuthorGodwin, William
Philosophy
Thoughts on Man, His Nature, Productions and Discoveries: Interspersed with Some Particulars Respecting the Author
Godwin, William
Human beings; Psychology -- Early works to 1850
From what has been thus drawn together and recapitulated it seems
clearly to follow, as was stated in the beginning, that love cannot
exist in its purest form and with a genuine ardour, where the parties
are, and are felt by each other to be, on an equality; but that in all
cases it is requisite there should be a mutual deference and submission,
agreeably to the apostolic precept, "Likewise all of you be subject one
to the other." There must be room for the imagination to exercise its
powers; we must conceive and apprehend a thousand things which we do
not actually witness; each party must feel that it stands in need of
the other, and without the other cannot be complete; each party must be
alike conscious of the power of receiving and conferring benefit; and
there must be the anticipation of a distant future, that may every day
enhance the good to be imparted and enjoyed, and cause the individuals
thus united perpetually to become more sensible of the fortunate
event which gave them to each other, and has thus entailed upon each a
thousand advantages in which they could otherwise never have shared.
ESSAY XVI. OF FRANKNESS AND RESERVE.
Animals are divided into the solitary and the are gregarious: the former
being only occasionally associated with its mate, and perhaps engaged in
the care of its offspring; the latter spending their lives in herds and
communities. Man is of this last class or division.
Where the animals of any particular species live much in society, it
seems requisite that in some degree they should be able to understand
each other's purposes, and to act with a certain portion of concert.
All other animals are exceedingly limited in their powers of
communication. But speech renders that being whom we justly entitle the
lord of the creation, capable of a boundless interchange of ideas and
intentions. Not only can we communicate to each other substantively our
elections and preferences: we can also exhort and persuade, and employ
reasons and arguments to convince our fellows, that the choice we have
made is also worthy of their adoption. We can express our thoughts, and
the various lights and shades, the bleedings, of our thoughts. Language
is an instrument capable of being perpetually advanced in copiousness,
perspicuity and power.
No principle of morality can be more just, than that which teaches us
to regard every faculty we possess as a power intrusted to us for the
benefit of others as well as of ourselves, and which therefore we are
bound to employ in the way which shall best conduce to the general
advantage.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account