"But it does hence follow, That the Soul of Man in its Original Constitution, and in the most perfect State of its nature, is not a Rasa Tabula, without any Notions or Ideas of Truth imprinted on it; but that it has its most natural and perfect Knowledge from within, from contemplating its own Notions and Ideas of Truth"
— Sherlock, William (1639/40-1707)
Place of Publication
London
Publisher
Printed for W. Rogers
Date
1704
Metaphor
"But it does hence follow, That the Soul of Man in its Original Constitution, and in the most perfect State of its nature, is not a Rasa Tabula, without any Notions or Ideas of Truth imprinted on it; but that it has its most natural and perfect Knowledge from within, from contemplating its own Notions and Ideas of Truth"
Metaphor in Context
Now indeed it does not hence follow, that every Child must Speak, and have the actual Exercise of its Reason as soon as it is born, because Adam was created in the perfect and actual Exercise of these Powers; for Adam was not created a Child, but a Man, and therefore created in a Man- [end page 128]ly State of Knowledge, with those clear and bright Ideas of Truth, which become the Vigor and Maturity of Human Understandings. But it does hence follow, That the Soul of Man in its Original Constitution, and in the most perfect State of its nature, is not a Rasa Tabula, without any Notions or Ideas of Truth imprinted on it; but that it has its most natural and perfect Knowledge from within, from contemplating its own Notions and Ideas of Truth. Nay, it hence follows, That if Adam's Soul had these Natural Characters on it, which were the Principles of all Rational Knowledge; all Human Souls have so too, or else they have not the same Nature that Adam's Soul had: For a Soul with the Natural Ideas of Things, and a Soul without any such Natural Ideas, are not of the same Kind and Species of Souls. And if Adam was to beget in his own Likeness, the Souls as well as Bodies of his Children must have the same Natural Characters and Impressions on them. [...]
(pp. 128-9)
(pp. 128-9)
Categories
Provenance
Searching "tabula rasa" in ECCO; found again in 6th edition of 1760.
Citation
14 entries in ESTC (1704, 1705, 1713, 1719, 1726, 1735, 1744, 1751, 1753, 1760, 1761, 1764, 1776).
Sherlock, William. A Discourse Concerning the Happiness of Good Men, and the Punishment of the Wicked, in the Next World. (London: Printed for W. Rogers, 1704). <Link to ESTC>
Also found searching in ECCO: A Discourse Concerning the Happiness of Good Men, and the Punishment of the Wicked, in the Next World, &c., 6th ed. (London: Printed for J. Walthoe, D. Browne, C. Hitch and L. Hawes, J. Clarke, J. Hinton [and 11 others], 1760).
Sherlock, William. A Discourse Concerning the Happiness of Good Men, and the Punishment of the Wicked, in the Next World. (London: Printed for W. Rogers, 1704). <Link to ESTC>
Also found searching in ECCO: A Discourse Concerning the Happiness of Good Men, and the Punishment of the Wicked, in the Next World, &c., 6th ed. (London: Printed for J. Walthoe, D. Browne, C. Hitch and L. Hawes, J. Clarke, J. Hinton [and 11 others], 1760).
Theme
Blank Slate
Date of Entry
10/09/2006
