Book Description

This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can usually download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated. 1829 edition. Excerpt: ... doctrine of causation. Only think of my giving myself the air of talking metaphysics this morning, and throwing in a word on the Doctrine of Causation, merely to show off before the Prince C li, Count del P o. and L B, who were breakfasting with us. A look from "my master" convinced me, that like Cathon, "I had got "furieusement dans I'enigme, '" and with the distressed Irish gentlewoman, whose necessities obliged her to cry "hot mutton pies." and who always added, "/hope nohody hears me" I too hoped my observation had escaped the ears for which it was intended; and so I began to recommend the beauties of the county of Wicklow to my guests, and made "pure description hold the place of sense," or /lore-sense. When they were gone. we fell to talk upon the subject, and here was the result. The id_ea of cause is a consequence of our consciousness of the force we exert in subjecting externals to the changes dictated by our volition. From this we deduce the presence of a force, which is the sine qua non of those other changes in matter, in which we have no part. It is this association of ideas which predisposes the savage to impute intelligence and volition to the unknown causes of natural, phenomena. Experience, showing the constant concurrence of certain antecedents with certain consequences, while it dispels the error of the savage concerning voluntary agents, strengthens the notion of natural causes into a principle. The M2 human mind cannot conceive a cause which is not necessary; because the same experience, which proves that it is a cause, proves the universality of its antecedence to the effect, with which it stands in relation. t the countess D'albany. Talking of the accidents, incidents, and odd cowjunctions of travelling, it...