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Article ON THE ERRORS OF COMMON OPINION. ← Page 2 of 4 →
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On The Errors Of Common Opinion.
In thus reverencing common opinions , we reverence we know , not what . Little do we conceive how easily and upon what slight foundations the every body says it is obtained for any opinion , aud while we fear to combat the judgments of a number of people ot equal talents with ourselves , we fear an opposition that exists not ; for perhaps not one of all those people , whom we lock upon as the inion concerned themselves it
countenance * of an op , ever m , or asked their judgment the least question about it . Mankind are naturally lazy some busy fool advances an absu . d . ty ; he pretends-he has reason and argument on his side , and the world , even the great men of the world , take his word for it , aud assent without ever examining the least article of what they assent to . Thus every body falseand thus how cheaply
savs-what is foolish , absurd , or ; we see this errand testimonial of rig ht , this every body says , is bought . What has thus passed through one age , has the double sanction of precedent and authority for the next ; and thus the falsehood stands as an unauestionable truth , till some ill naaiied fellow rises up m a pet , cries , 11 the world is fooland ' shews himself iu the opinion of the vulgar '
- a , a wis-r man' than all that went before him-, but this is only another common opinion , with no foundation in truth , since the whole matter ' is , he has happened to think upon a subject whicn no body considered it ' worth while to think upon before . There is no guide so false , in all the paths of life , as common opinion nothing in which a man shews himself so little of the rational
creature , as the countenancing or being influenced by it ; nothing in which he is so much himself , as in despising it . Common opinion declares , in all matters of uncertainty , « Ay , ay , we shall see by the ¦ e-ent how wise the action was . " This is received as a sohd . test of wisdom in the projectors of any new schemes , or the adventurer in any precarious scene of action . Blind and besotted as we are 1 why human actionsin generalitisnotso muo
do we not consider thatin , , . . as once in a thousand times , that the event is answerable in all respects to the means . We live in a stage of being so very uncertain in itself , and surrounded with so many accidents which it-is wholly impossible to foresee , that no p lan of acting , can be secureof . bringing usto any would have itandif we would judge like men , m-
end iust as we : , sterd of applauding every thing that is successful , and condemning every thin * that fail ! , we should congratulate the fortune , not the prudence of " the successful man , and pity , not condemn , him who has missed his end . This is not a peculiar opinion among us , the Romans had it long before ; Exitus acta probat , The event proves tbewmom or
folly of the action , was an old Latin proverb ; and- Ovid justly satyrized the cruelty and injustice of it in his character ot Dido . _ _ Common opinion condemns all manners , customs , and opinions , different from our own * , and this not because they are worse than for that it enquires into but because they are different . .
ours never , When a man dies with us , nothing dies with him he rots , and there is an end of his life : his son thanks heaven for taking him out of the way , and perhaps will not leave heaven the merit of it , but Sves his nurse ten guineas to pull the pillow from under his head , when he has no more arms to resist , nor tongue to tell tales ; while
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
On The Errors Of Common Opinion.
In thus reverencing common opinions , we reverence we know , not what . Little do we conceive how easily and upon what slight foundations the every body says it is obtained for any opinion , aud while we fear to combat the judgments of a number of people ot equal talents with ourselves , we fear an opposition that exists not ; for perhaps not one of all those people , whom we lock upon as the inion concerned themselves it
countenance * of an op , ever m , or asked their judgment the least question about it . Mankind are naturally lazy some busy fool advances an absu . d . ty ; he pretends-he has reason and argument on his side , and the world , even the great men of the world , take his word for it , aud assent without ever examining the least article of what they assent to . Thus every body falseand thus how cheaply
savs-what is foolish , absurd , or ; we see this errand testimonial of rig ht , this every body says , is bought . What has thus passed through one age , has the double sanction of precedent and authority for the next ; and thus the falsehood stands as an unauestionable truth , till some ill naaiied fellow rises up m a pet , cries , 11 the world is fooland ' shews himself iu the opinion of the vulgar '
- a , a wis-r man' than all that went before him-, but this is only another common opinion , with no foundation in truth , since the whole matter ' is , he has happened to think upon a subject whicn no body considered it ' worth while to think upon before . There is no guide so false , in all the paths of life , as common opinion nothing in which a man shews himself so little of the rational
creature , as the countenancing or being influenced by it ; nothing in which he is so much himself , as in despising it . Common opinion declares , in all matters of uncertainty , « Ay , ay , we shall see by the ¦ e-ent how wise the action was . " This is received as a sohd . test of wisdom in the projectors of any new schemes , or the adventurer in any precarious scene of action . Blind and besotted as we are 1 why human actionsin generalitisnotso muo
do we not consider thatin , , . . as once in a thousand times , that the event is answerable in all respects to the means . We live in a stage of being so very uncertain in itself , and surrounded with so many accidents which it-is wholly impossible to foresee , that no p lan of acting , can be secureof . bringing usto any would have itandif we would judge like men , m-
end iust as we : , sterd of applauding every thing that is successful , and condemning every thin * that fail ! , we should congratulate the fortune , not the prudence of " the successful man , and pity , not condemn , him who has missed his end . This is not a peculiar opinion among us , the Romans had it long before ; Exitus acta probat , The event proves tbewmom or
folly of the action , was an old Latin proverb ; and- Ovid justly satyrized the cruelty and injustice of it in his character ot Dido . _ _ Common opinion condemns all manners , customs , and opinions , different from our own * , and this not because they are worse than for that it enquires into but because they are different . .
ours never , When a man dies with us , nothing dies with him he rots , and there is an end of his life : his son thanks heaven for taking him out of the way , and perhaps will not leave heaven the merit of it , but Sves his nurse ten guineas to pull the pillow from under his head , when he has no more arms to resist , nor tongue to tell tales ; while