"As to the understanding, [Epicurus] believ'd, That at first it had no ideas; that it was a kind of tabula rasa; and that, when the organs of the body are form'd, its knowledge of things increases gradually by the mediation of the senses."
— Fénelon, François de Salignac de la Mothe (1651-1715); Anonymous
Place of Publication
London
Publisher
Printed for B. Barker and R. Francklin
Date
1726
Metaphor
"As to the understanding, [Epicurus] believ'd, That at first it had no ideas; that it was a kind of tabula rasa; and that, when the organs of the body are form'd, its knowledge of things increases gradually by the mediation of the senses."
Metaphor in Context
As to the understanding, he believ'd, That at first it had no ideas; that it was a kind of tabula rasa; and that, when the organs of the body are form'd, its knowledge of things increases gradually by the mediation of the senses. That it can reflect on things absent, and deceive itself in thinking 'em present, or employ itself on things which have no existence; but the senses, on the contrary, perceive no objects but what are present; and consequently as to their existence, they cannot be deceived. In this case, he says, That it is a mark of very great folly, to have recourse to reasoning, and not to examine the report of our senses.
(p. 262)
(p. 262)
Categories
Provenance
Searching "tabula rasa" in ECCO
Citation
Fénelon, François de Salignac de La Mothe-. The lives and most remarkable maxims of the antient philosophers. London, 1726. Based on information from English Short Title Catalogue. Eighteenth Century Collections Online. Gale Group. http://galenet.galegroup.com/servlet/ECCO
Theme
Blank Slate
Date of Entry
10/09/2006
