Part 19
[74] Dr. Dugal Stewart in Scotland, and the Revd. Mr. Belsham in England, have published Elements of the Philosophy of the mind, the first inclining to the Scotch School of Metaphysics, the latter to the System of Hartley; both of them of merit in their way, particularly (as I think that of Mr. Belsham).
[75] I cannot help thinking Dr. Darwin’s obligations to Dr. Hartley and Dr. Brown ought to have dictated more acknowledgement than he has condescended to make.
For my own part, I am persuaded that no Theory of the mind can be satisfactory, which is not founded on the history of the Body. I know of no legitimate passport to Metaphysics but Physiology. Hence I cannot estimate highly the writings of the Scotch Metaphysicians. There is one other feature also common to this School, which satisfies me of their incompetence to this subject; their slight notice, and ambiguous approbation of a man so superior as Dr. Hartley, and their utter ignorance or neglect of the theory he has advanced. On every subject relating to the phenomena of mind, Dr. Hartley’s book must be adopted as the ground work of the reasoning, or his principles must be previously and distinctly confuted.[76]
[76] Dr. Reid in his last work has given a critique on Dr. Hartley’s theory without understanding it, or even touching on the important points. That theory in substance is this: an external object (a peach for instance) makes an impression at once, on our organs of feeling, of sight, and of taste. The impression thus made on the extreme end of the appropriate nerve, is propagated by some species of motion along the course of nerve up to the brain, and there, and there only, perceived; for if the nerve be cut, or tied, or palsied, in any part of its course, the impression is not perceived. Motions in the brain thus produced, and perceived, are _sensations_: similar motions arising, or produced without the impression of an external object, are _ideas_. These impressions being in the instance given, simultaneous or nearly so, are associated, so that the sensation produced by the sight of a peach, will give rise to motions in the brain similar to those produced at first by the taste and the touch of it: i. e. it will suggest the _ideas_ of taste and touch, and excite the inclination to reach and to eat the object of them. Hence sensations, ideas, and muscular motions are associated together and mutually suggest and give rise to each other. What species of motion it is, with which the nervous system is affected in this process, or whether Sir Isaac Newton’s Æther, or its modern substitute the electric fluid, has any thing to do with it or not, is no essential part of the theory, and may be adopted or rejected without prejudice to the main system. Some kind of motion there manifestly is; I think it _demonstrable_ that it is vibratory; but of whatever kind it be, its existence in the brain is unquestionable; and the association and catenation of individual motions in the brain according to certain laws, is equally so. This is matter of fact, and it was Dr. Reid’s business if he could, to shew that neither the motions, the perceptions, or the associations took place in that organ. The general law is expressed by Hartley Prop. 20. Cor. 7.
The Metaphysics of the present day require also, a more accurate attention to the Theory of Grammar than has hitherto been paid by writers on the subject. Perhaps I do not assert too much in saying that we have had no grammarians worth notice, none who have thrown light on the principles of Grammar, but Locke and Horne Tooke. What dreadful confusion has arisen from treating words denoting what are called abstract ideas, as if they were the exponents of real individual existence? Whereas they are merely signs of artificial classification without any individual archetype. For instance in relation to the present subject, what volumes of laboured and learned trifling have been written on the _Will_, the _Judgment_, the _Understanding_ and the other faculties as they are called, of the soul! Yet nothing is more certain than that the will, the judgment, the understanding, &c. have no existence: they are words only, the counters employed in reasoning, convenient signs of arrangement, like the _plus_ the _minus_ and the _unknown quantity_ in Algebra, but no more. The time however is approaching, when Metaphysics will take rank among the Sciences that lay claim, if not to absolute demonstration, yet to an approximation to certainty sufficient for all the purposes of ethical reasoning, and all the practical duties of human life.
_ERRATA._
PAGE, LINE. 23 10 from the top, For deliverery, read delivery. 84 14 -- -- ” Actes, ” Artes ” ” -- -- ” _pecsinit_, ” _nec sinit_. 90 bottom line, ” No. 6, ” No. 4. 160 2 -- -- ” Bur, ” But. 172 3 -- -- ” Biancount, ” Liancourt. 188 1 -- -- ” determing, ” determining. ” 8 -- -- ” he ” her. 214 1 -- -- For wall, read well. 218 3 from the bottom ” immorality, ” immortality. 229 2 -- -- ” 1679, ” 1767. 269 3 -- -- ” fort, ” forte. 304 8 from the bottom after, the Author, ” Dr. Coward. ” 1 from the top, ” predomininates, ” predominates. 333 7 from the top of the note for disc, ” dire. 357 12 from the top For is, ” it.
Transcriber Notes
Obvious punctuation errors and ommissions have been corrected.
The errata have been corrected, except for the one listed as on page 357, which does not exist.
Page 4 “My mother dying in in” changed to “My mother dying in”
Page 23 “my deliverery” changed to “my delivery”
Page 25 “that neighbourghood” changed to “that neighbourhood”
Page 44 “English grammer” changed to “English grammar”
Page 45 “justly prefered” changed to “justly preferred”
Page 58 “occured to me” changed to “occurred to me”
Page 77 “well knowh” changed to “well known”
Page 84 “Actes, emollit mores pecsinit” changed to “Artes, emollit mores nec sinit”
Page 88 “constantly returnned” changed to “constantly returned”
Page 94 “in the difficuties” changed to “in the difficulties”
Page 114 “the number of such person” changed to “the number of such persons”
Page 120 “air fram water” changed to “air from water”
Page 121 “af enjoyment” changed to “of enjoyment”
Page 126 “I thonght my” changed to “I thought my.” “without exceprion” changed to “without exception”
Page 158 “respect ro me” changed to “respect to me.” “would bo ready” changed to “would be ready”
Page 160 “Bur the sentence” changed to “But the sentence”
Page 172 “Duke de Liancount” changed to “Duke de Liancourt”
Page 181 “principal Agebraic” changed to “principal Algebraic”
Page 188 “without determing” changed to “without determining”
Page 211 “some symtoms” changed to “some symptoms”
Page 214 “as wall as” changed to “as well as.” “just aftorward” changed to “just afterward”
Page 217 “read that pampnlet” changed to “read that pamphlet”
Page 218 “a happy immorality” changed to “a happy immortality”
Page 220 “chearfulnees of” changed to “chearfulness of”
Page 223 “is unnecsssary” changed to “is unnecessary”
Page 227 “recommending and comfirming” changed to “recommending and confirming”
Page 241 “is is chiefly” changed to “is chiefly”
Page 244 “A dissertatson” changed to “A dissertation”
Page 253 “eandour of disposition” changed to “candour of disposition”
Page 256 “of of metals” changed to “of metals.” “Dr. Priesley” changed to “Dr. Priestley”
Page 264 “of of water” changed to “of water”
Page 280 “Nich. Jonrn.” changed to “Nich. Journ.”
Page 290 “aon philosophical subjects” changed to “on philosophical subjects.” “from of vapours” changed to “form of vapours”
Page 295 “from the extention” changed to “from the extension”
Page 308 “one of the inumerable” changed to “one of the innumerable.” “Authore J. R. M. I.” changed to “Author J. R. M. I.”
Page 314 “snd it is there” changed to “and it is there”
Page 325 “anwers were given” changed to “answers were given” “Dr. Horseley” changed to “Dr. Horsely”
Page 331 “manifestly predomninates” changed to “manifestly predominates”