"But this is the great Difficulty, What the Voice and Sense of Nature is; which if it signify any Thing, must signify some Natural and Inbred Knowledge; which is exploded as a ridiculous Conceit by some great and profound Philosophers of our Age; who will allow no Innate Knowledge, but assert the Soul to be a Rasa Tabula, White Paper, whereon nothing is written, but is capable of any Impressions, and must receive all from without: That nothing is in the Understanding, but what enters by the Senses; which is the old Atheistick Hypothesis, which banishes original Mind and Wisdom out of the World, makes the Mind younger than Matter, later than the making of the World, and therefore not the Maker of it"
— Sherlock, William (1639/40-1707)
Place of Publication
London
Publisher
Printed for W. Rogers
Date
1704
Metaphor
"But this is the great Difficulty, What the Voice and Sense of Nature is; which if it signify any Thing, must signify some Natural and Inbred Knowledge; which is exploded as a ridiculous Conceit by some great and profound Philosophers of our Age; who will allow no Innate Knowledge, but assert the Soul to be a Rasa Tabula, White Paper, whereon nothing is written, but is capable of any Impressions, and must receive all from without: That nothing is in the Understanding, but what enters by the Senses; which is the old Atheistick Hypothesis, which banishes original Mind and Wisdom out of the World, makes the Mind younger than Matter, later than the making of the World, and therefore not the Maker of it"
Metaphor in Context
But this is the great Difficulty, What the Voice and Sense of Nature is; which if it signify any Thing, must signify some Natural and Inbred Knowledge; which is exploded as a ridiculous Conceit by some great and profound Philosophers of our Age; who will allow no Innate Knowledge, but assert the Soul to be a Rasa Tabula, White Paper, whereon nothing is written, but is capable of any Impressions, and must receive all from without: That nothing is in the Understanding, but what enters by the Senses; which is the old Atheistick Hypothesis, which banishes original Mind and Wisdom out of the World, makes the Mind younger than Matter, later than the making of the World, and therefore not the Maker of it. I should not trouble myself at this Time with professed Atheists; but when Men who profess to believe a God, and another World advance such Principles as tend to overturn, or at least very much weaken the Belief of both, it is fitting upon such an Occasion, to consider what they have to say. And I shall reason upon their own Principles, upon the Supposition there is a God, who is the Maker of the World.
(pp. 74-5 in 1760; Cf. p. 124 in 1704)
(pp. 74-5 in 1760; Cf. p. 124 in 1704)
Categories
Provenance
Searching "tabula rasa" in ECCO; found in 1760 printing.
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; Lockean Philosophy
Date of Entry
10/12/2006
