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"With respect to the simple Perception of Mere Sense he is still upon the same Level with Brutes; he is altogether Passive; he retains all the Signatures and Impressions of outward Objects, but in the very Order only in which they are stamped; with Transposing or Altering, Dividing, or Compounding, or even Comparing them one with another."

— Browne, Peter (d. 1735)

Author

Browne, Peter (d. 1735)

Work Title

The Procedure, Extent, and Limits of Human Understanding

Place of Publication

London

Publisher

Printed [by James Bettenham] for William Inny

Date

1728

Metaphor

"With respect to the simple Perception of Mere Sense he is still upon the same Level with Brutes; he is altogether Passive; he retains all the Signatures and Impressions of outward Objects, but in the very Order only in which they are stamped; with Transposing or Altering, Dividing, or Compounding, or even Comparing them one with another."

Metaphor in Context

Now this is so far from being a just reason to think the Soul of Man Material, that is is an Argument of the quite Contrary. For let us restore that Man to all his Senses again, in the greatest degree of Acuteness he is capable of, insomuch that he shall have his Imagination furnished with the Ideas of all Sensible Objects; yet you have not restored him to any use of his Reason and Understanding; not even to that of a Simple View or Apprehension of those Ideas. With respect to the simple Perception of Mere Sense he is still upon the same Level with Brutes; he is altogether Passive; he retains all the Signatures and Impressions of outward Objects, but in the very Order only in which they are stamped; with Transposing or Altering, Dividing, or Compounding, or even Comparing them one with another: And they would always continue so in the Imagination, if there were not a Principle Above Matter, first to contemplate or view them; and then to work up those rude and gross Materials into a great Variety of curious Arts and Sciences.
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