Duff, William (1732-1815)

An Essay on Original Genius

London

Printed for Edward and Charles Dilly

1767

"Let it be observed therefore, that as Invention is the peculiar and distinguishing province of every species of Genius. Imagination claims an undivided empire over this province."

Let it be observed therefore, that as Invention is the peculiar and distinguishing province of every species of Genius. Imagination claims an undivided empire over this province. It is this faculty alone, which, without the aid or participation of Judgment, supplies all the incidents, characters, imagery, sentiments, and descriptions of Poetry, and most of the theories, at least, in Philosophy, as well as the arguments (a circumstance not commonly attended to) for supporting those theories. Judgment only claims the right of determining their propriety and truth. Since therefore, to supply these, constitutes the highest effort of Genius; that faculty which supplies them; must certainly predominate in its full accomplishment; and this, we have seen, is Imagination. There are at the same time inferior degrees of Philosophic Genius, in which Judgment has the principal ascendant. Those persons in whom this distribution takes place, are in general qualified for making improvements in Philosophy, in exact proportion to the degree in which they possess the talent of Imagination; and will, upon account of the superior strength of their reasoning talents, be found better qualified for canvassing the discoveries of others, possessed of more extensive powers of Imagination, though perhaps of a less penetrating Judgment, than for making those discoveries themselves. It is true indeed, that besides those philosophical truths, which, to the mortification of the pride of human understanding, accident hath brought to light, and those others which have been hit upon by certain happy random thoughts of persons of very moderate abilities, discoveries in Science have sometimes been made by those, who, enjoying a very small share of imagination, were however endued with a clear apprehension, united with a patient and careful observation of the various objects they contemplated. It must likewise be confessed, that this method, accompanied with proper experiments, and just reasoning founded on those experiments, though not the most expeditious, is however the only certain one of attaining the knowledge of the truths of natural Philosophy in particular. But then, on the other hand, it must be acknowledged, that where an extensive Imagination is superadded to the qualifications above-mentioned, the mind, being thereby enabled to comprehend a greater variety of objects, and to combine its ideas in a greater variety of forms, becomes qualified to push its inquiries much farther, as well as with more advantage.
(pp. 99-102)

Government::Empire

C-H Lion

2 entries in ESTC (1767).

Text from William Duff, An Essay on Original Genius; and its Various Modes of Exertion in Philosophy and the Fine Arts, Particularly in Poetry (London: Printed for Edward and Charles Dilly, 1767). <Link to ESTC>

07/01/2013