« back to search

"Some have said that the human Mind contained within it the Seeds of all Sciences; the Mind is indeed a Soil in which any of these Seeds may be sown, but it must be cultivated; and without an Husbandman it will continue a mere Tabula rasa, except what the Instincts write on it, without a possibility of astronomical, geographical or other learned Observations."

— Philalethes [pseud.]

Author

Philalethes [pseud.]

Work Title

A philosophical dissertation upon the inlets to human knowledge, in a letter from a gentleman in the country to his friend at London.

Place of Publication

London: printed, Dublin

Publisher

Re-printed by George Faulkner

Date

1740

Metaphor

"Some have said that the human Mind contained within it the Seeds of all Sciences; the Mind is indeed a Soil in which any of these Seeds may be sown, but it must be cultivated; and without an Husbandman it will continue a mere Tabula rasa, except what the Instincts write on it, without a possibility of astronomical, geographical or other learned Observations."

Metaphor in Context

Ideas of Sensation furnish the Brutes, and altogether untaught Men with Objects of Use only to their Instincts, to enable them to exert those for their Personal Preservation to provide them with the Means of Subsistence, and to avoid Dangers; and of this Truth the New Holland and New Guinea Savages are as evident a Proof, as any other Species of mere Animals. To the instructed Man they afford a vast Quantity of Materials to exercise Knowledge on, but without being taught that [end page 26] Knowledge to apply them to artificial Purposes, they would signify no more to us, besides assisting the Instincts to take Care of that Body they were planted in, that vast Woods and Quarries of Marble in a Country would furnish it with Fleets, Palaces and Cities, without Workmen to fashion them, and Architects to put them into their respective beautiful Orders. Michael Angelo used to say, that a Statuary was a Man who only pared off Superfluities, since every Block of Marble contained in it all possible Forms; but without a Phidias, a Praxiteles, or a Michael Angelo himself, the Marble will lie for ever rude shapeless Mass in its Quarry. Some have said that the human Mind contained within it the Seeds of all Sciences; the Mind is indeed a Soil in which any of these Seeds may be sown, but it must be cultivated; and without an Husbandman it will continue a mere Tabula rasa, except what the Instincts write on it, without a possibility of astronomical, geographical or other learned Observations, let the Savage stare ever so much about him, and gaze up to the Skies all Night long, for the Stars are mere sensible Objects to the Brute and unlearned Man, as the Moon to a Dog, who only barks at it, or an ignorant Traveller, who neither doth nor can consider it farther than as he hath Occasion for its Light: But to the natural, moral and metaphysical Philosopher, all these become intel- [end page 27] ligible Species, Scientifick Objects, and afford Matter for great Variety and Depth of Learning. At present I require and will use no other Proof, than to desire any one to cast his Eyes and Observation on the ancient Athens and modern Setines, both as to Men and Buildings.
(pp. 26-8)