Philosophical Letters: or, modest Reflections upon some Opinions in Natural Philosophy. Duchess of Margaret Cavendish Newcastle
I will add, which is, That if Nature has not been made by God from all Eternity, then the Title of God, as being a Creator, which is a Title and action, upon which our Faith is grounded, (for it is the first Article in our Creed) has been accessory to God, as I said, not full Six thousand years ago; but there is not any thing accessory to God; he being the Perfection himself. But, Madam, all what I speak, is under the liberty of Natural Philosophy, and by the Light of Reason onely, not of Revelation; and my Reason being not infallible; I will not declare my Opinions for an infallible Truth: Neither do I think, that they are offensive either to Church or State, for I submit to the Laws of One, and believe the Doctrine of the Other, so much, that if it were for the advantage of either, I should be willing to sacrifice my Life, especially for the Church; yea, had I millions of Lives, and every Life was either to suffer torment or to live in ease, I would prefer torment for the benefit of the Church; and therefore, if I knew that my Opinions should give any offence to the Church, I should be ready every minute to alter them: And as much as I am bound in all duty to the obedience of the Church, as much am I particularly bound to your Ladiship, for your entire love and sincere affection towards me, for which I shall live and die,
Madam,
Your most faithful Friend,
and humble Servant.
IV.
MADAM,
I have chosen, in the first place, the Work of that famous Philosopher Hobbs called Leviathan, wherein I find he sayes,[1] That the cause of sense or sensitive perception is the external body or Object, which presses the Organ proper to each Sense. To which I answer, according to the ground of my own Philosophical Opinions, That all things, and therefore outward objects as well as sensitive organs, have both Sense and Reason, yet neither the objects nor the organs are the cause of them; for Perception is but the effect of the Sensitive and rational Motions, and not the Motions of the Perception; neither doth the pressure of parts upon parts make Perception; for although Matter by the power of self-motion is as much composeable as divideable, and parts do joyn to parts, yet that doth not make perception; nay, the several parts, betwixt which the Perception is made, may be at such a distance, as not capable to press: As for example, Two men may see or hear each other at a distance, and yet there may be other bodies between them, that do not move to those perceptions, so that no pressure can be made, for all pressures are by some constraint and force; wherefore, according to my Opinion, the Sensitive and Rational free Motions, do pattern out each others object, as Figure and Voice in each others Eye and Ear; for Life and Knowledge, which I name Rational and Sensitive Matter, are in every Creature, and in all parts of every Creature, and make all perceptions in Nature, because they are the self-moving parts of Nature, and according as those Corporeal, Rational, and Sensitive Motions move, such or such perceptions are made: But these self-moving parts being of different degrees (for the Rational matter is purer then the Sensitive) it causes a double perception in all Creatures, whereof one is made by the Rational corporeal motions, and the other by the Sensitive; and though both perceptions are in all the body, and in every part of the body of a Creature, yet the sensitive corporeal motions having their proper organs, as Work-houses, in which they work some sorts of perceptions, those perceptions are most commonly made in those organs, and are double again; for the sensitive motions work either on the inside or on the out-side of those organs, on the inside in Dreams, on the out-side awake; and although both the Rational and the Sensitive matter are inseparably joyned and mixed together, yet do they not always work together, for oftentimes the Rational works without any sensitive paterns, and the sensitive again without any rational paterns. But mistake me not, Madam, for I do not absolutely confine the sensitive perception to the Organs, nor the rational to the Brain, but as they are both in the whole body, so they may work in the whole body according to their own motions. Neither do I say, that there is no other perception in the Eye but sight, in the Ear but hearing, and so forth, but the sensitive organs have other perceptions besides these; and if the sensitive and rational motions be irregular in those parts, between which the perception is made, as for example, in the two fore-mentioned men, that see and hear each other, then they both neither see nor hear each other perfectly; and if one's motions be perfect, but the other's irregular and erroneous, then one sees and hears better then the other; or if the Sensitive and Rational motions move more regularly and make perfecter paterns in the Eye then in the Ear, then they see better then they hear; and if more regularly and perfectly in the Ear then in the Eye, they hear better then they see: And so it may be said of each man singly, for one man may see the other better and more perfectly, then the other may see him; and this man may hear the other better and more perfectly, then the other may hear him; whereas, if perception were made by pressure, there would not be any such mistakes; besides the hard pressure of objects, in my opinion, would rather annoy and obscure, then inform. But as soon as the object is removed, the Perception of it, made by the sensitive motions in the Organs, ceaseth, by reason the sensitive Motions cease from paterning, but yet the Rational Motions do not always cease so suddenly, because the sensitive corporeal Motions work with the Inanimate Matter, and therefore cannot retain particular figures long, whereas the Rational Matter doth onely move in its own substance and parts of matter, and upon none other, as my Book of Philosophical Opinions will inform you better. And thus Perception, in my opinion, is not made by Pressure, nor by Species, nor by matter going either from the Organ to the Object, or from the Object into the Organ. By this it is also manifest, that Understanding comes not from Exterior Objects, or from the Exterior sensitive Organs; for as Exterior Objects do not make Perception, so they do neither make Understanding, but it is the rational matter that doth it, for Understanding may be without exterior objects and sensitive organs; And this in short is the opinion of
Madam,
Your faithful Friend
and Servant.
[1] Part. 1. ch. 1.
V.
Madam,
Your Authours opinion is,[1] that when a thing lies still, unless somewhat else stir it, it will lie still for ever; but when a thing is in motion, it will eternally be in motion, unless somewhat else stay it; the reason is, saith he, because nothing can change it self; To tell you truly, Madam, I am not of his opinion, for if Matter moveth it self, as certainly it doth, then the least part of Matter, were it so small as to seem Individable, will move it self; 'Tis true, it could not desist from motion, as being its nature to move, and no thing can change its Nature; for God himself, who hath more power then self-moving Matter, cannot change himself from being God; but that Motion should proceed from another exterior Body, joyning with, or touching that body which it moves, is in my opinion not probable; for though Nature is all Corporeal, and her actions are Corporeal Motions, yet that doth not prove, that the Motion of particular Creatures or Parts is caused by the joining, touching or pressing of parts upon parts; for it is not the several parts that make motion, but motion makes them; and yet Motion is not the cause of Matter, but Matter is the cause of Motion, for Matter might subsist without Motion, but not Motion without Matter, onely there could be no perception without Motion, nor no Variety, if Matter were not self-moving; but Matter, if it were all Inanimate and void of Motion, would lie as a dull, dead and senseless heap; But that all Motion comes by joining or pressing of other parts, I deny, for if sensitive and rational perceptions, which are sensitive and rational motions, in the body, and in the mind, were made by the pressure of outward objects, pressing the sensitive organs, and so the brain or interior parts of the Body, they would cause such dents and holes therein, as to make them sore and patched in