"For it's whole Systeme Aims at this, to make the Furniture of every Person's Mind Alike, their Reason and Faculties the same, and which Garniture, after it has made it a Rasa Tabula, must be of it's own Supplying; 'Tis an Empty Room, without any Thing to Set if off or Adorn it, till this Philosophy has taken Care to put into it, what Ideas and Faculties it Thinks Proper for it's Ornament and Embellishing."
— Greene, Robert (c. 1678-1730)
Place of Publication
Cambridge
Publisher
Printed at the University-Press, by Cornelius Crownfield, and are to be sold by him, E. Jefferys, and W. Thurlbourne booksellers in Cambridge, and by J. Knapton, R. Knaplock, W. and J. Innys, and B. Motte, London
Date
1727
Metaphor
"For it's whole Systeme Aims at this, to make the Furniture of every Person's Mind Alike, their Reason and Faculties the same, and which Garniture, after it has made it a Rasa Tabula, must be of it's own Supplying; 'Tis an Empty Room, without any Thing to Set if off or Adorn it, till this Philosophy has taken Care to put into it, what Ideas and Faculties it Thinks Proper for it's Ornament and Embellishing."
Metaphor in Context
It would be hard Indeed, if a Philosophy, which has Considered Ideas with such Accuracy, should be Mistaken in every Point; And it may Possibly be True in this, with one Restriction, in Respect of the first Part of what is here Affirm'd, that our Comparing Ideas with on another, as to Extent, Degree, Time, Place, &c. is the Ground of Relations, Namely, if it is Meant, so far as we Apprehend those Relations; But if it is Affirm'd in General, it is a Mistake; Because not only our Comparing our Ideas, but the Different Genius's, Tempers, and Complexions of our Minds, by which we first Receive, and them Compare them, comes into the account, which this Philosophy does not at all Regard; For it's whole Systeme Aims at this, to make the Furniture of every Person's Mind Alike, their Reason and Faculties the same, and which Garniture, after it has made it a Rasa Tabula, must be of it's own Supplying; 'Tis an Empty Room, without any Thing to Set if off or Adorn it, till this Philosophy has taken Care to put into it, what Ideas and Faculties it Thinks Proper for it's Ornament and Embellishing; And amongst the Rest, is this of Comparing Ideas; as if it was the same in all Men, and was not to be Distinguished by the Various Forces, Powers, and Capacities of the Mind, which it Certainly Ought to be.
(V.v.11, p. 633)
(V.v.11, p. 633)
Categories
Provenance
Searching in ECCO
Citation
Greene, Robert. The principles of the philosophy of the expansive and contractive forces. Or an inquiry into the principles of the modern philosophy, that is, into the several chief rational sciences, which are extant. In seven books. By Robert Greene, ... Cambridge, 1727. Based on information from English Short Title Catalogue. Eighteenth Century Collections Online. Gale Group. http://galenet.galegroup.com/servlet/ECCO
Date of Entry
10/08/2006
