Philosoohical and Literary Essay S

This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated. 1792. Excerpt: ... other kind of cause, (as, for example, an Agent or living Person), the whole chain pr series between the motive applied and the ultimate overt action performed, Ihould be varied on different occasions, being sometimes a train which (to avoid all idle disputes about words) we shall express by G, H, 1, K; at other times a different train, which we shall call P, Q, 11, S; (till it must be evident, that, whichever of these be the interposed train, if the first and last steps of it (X and A, Y and B, Sec. respectively) be constantly conjoined, the result from the simultaneous application of X and Y must be what I have specified in the axioms; for the want of either A or B in the ultimate result would be ipso faclo proof of a separation having taken place, contrary to the principle of Constant conjunction. The author of the remarks must surely have attended but very little to my instances and illustrations, and must have had but a very imperfect and erroneous notion of my plan, and of my principles of reasoning, when he hazarded the asser tram in the beginning of N 9. that the question, therefore, turns on the nature of the operations of the understanding. This is perfectly groundless: they may be whatever he pleases to call them, without in the least affecting my argument, which 1 have purpofely taken care to make quite independent of them. As little was he aware of the naturd and force of my reasoning, when he employed, in answer to it, such vague, hypothetical, and metaphorical expressions as the following, That the 'will is not, and need not be exposed to such combinations or oppositions of influences, N4.-' That a judgement will never be. pronounced by a person in favour of two pursuits, at one and the same time, that are incompatible, N 7.-- Since ...