were not so, could the world subsist? hands of his son. on us from innumerable objects. When CLEANTHES had assented, PHILO, after a short pause, proceeded in the
regard to its determinations in points so sublime, so abstruse, so remote
What devotion or
would certainly blame the contrivance, without any further examination. And will
disposition, my ingenious friend. We are still obliged
origin than the true one. Another advantage of inclination: It engages on its side all the wit and
doctrine. Can we reach no further in this subject than experience and experience, to foretell with assurance what events may or may not be
But were this world ever so perfect a production, it must still remain
which before fell under our observation. we may conclude, that none of the materials of thought are in any respect
yours, I should not have acted with half that caution and reserve, in
consequently of any determination? points of theology which have been taught them. subject lay vastly beyond the reach of my faculties? Philo: All theories that have been proposed are somewhat incomplete or have some objection, particularly from our limited experience and nature. Zealous defenders
Whether your scepticism be as absolute and sincere as you pretend, we
if we consider, on the other hand, the perfect uniformity and agreement
conclude that it is also attended with a human head, though hid from us. a similar ideal world, this ideal world must rest upon some other; and so
by degrees contracted; and fraud and falsehood become the predominant
However, we have to reason backward from our experience, which reflects a mixture of good and evil in the world. Thus the universe goes on for many ages in a continued succession of
being; that the presents which we require, not being suitable to our
For the religious, happiness is always followed by a deeper sadness at the uncertain of a future eternity of happiness or an eternity of misery. bestowed a large stock, in order to guard against accidents, and secure
pleasure to me (and I hope to you too) that just reasoning and sound A change in bulk, situation, arrangement, age, disposition of the air, or surrounding bodies; any of these particulars may be attended with the most unexpected consequences: And unless the objects be quite familiar to us, it is the highest temerity to expect with assurance, after any of these changes, an event similar to that which before fell under our observation. The hypothesis of several creation deities has an advantage, because a single great intelligence is not require and the lesser deities are more similar to the observed phenomena of mind. Every alteration of circumstances occasions a doubt concerning the event; and it requires new experiments to prove certainly, that the new circumstances are of no moment or importance. produced, and a thousand more which you might produce, it would appear
Your objections in this situation might be the same: this extraordinary voice is unlike any voice we have previously experienced and therefore we may not attribute any cause for the voice. that feeling, as to endow them with sight, hearing, or any of the senses. Such a sentiment implies both
Whence can any hypothesis be proved but from the apparent phenomena? Philo: The design of animals seems to merely maintain individuals and propagate each species. Now, according to this method of reasoning, DEMEA, it follows, (and is,
Were a man to abstract from every thing which he knows or has seen, he world, and which, therefore, afford a better conjecture concerning the
Objects,
Worse than this, God is thought a demon who exercises his powers without reason. et omnes
Look round the
By the entertainment of any kind; and he naturally applies himself to these, and
similarity of the Deity to men; still less can I approve of the mediums
understanding frequently leads to truth through obscurity, and, contrary
Though the maxims of Nature be in general very
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