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Article CONTEMPLATIONS OF A PHILOSOPHER. Page 1 of 2 →
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Contemplations Of A Philosopher.
CONTEMPLATIONS OF A PHILOSOPHER .
IN establishing rules for my conduct in life , I pursue my own method : I deduce them not from the sublime principles of p hilosophy ; but find rhem written in indelible characters on my heart . I have only to consult myself concerning what I ought to do ; all that I feel to be rig * lit is riht ; whatever I feel to be wrong is wrong : conscience is the
g ablest of all casuists ; and it is only when we are trafficking with her , that we have recourse to the subtil ties of logical ratiocination : conscience is the voice of the soul ; the passions are the voice of the body . Reason deceives us often ; conscience , never : conscience is in the soul what instinct is in the body . Whoever puts himself under the conduct of this guide , pursues the direct path of nature , and need not fear to be
misled . If moral goodness be agreeable to our nature , a man cannot be sound of mind , or perfectly constituted , unless he be good . On the contrary , if it be not so , and man is naturally wicked , he cannot become good without a corruption of his nature ; goodness being evidently contrary to his constitution . Formed for the destruction of hi * fellow-creatures , as the wolf to devour its prey ; an humane and compassionate man would be as depraved an animal as a meek and lamb-like wolf , while virtue only would leave behind it the stings of remorse .
Let us examine ourselves , and see which way our inclinations tend . It has been said , that every thing is indifferent to us in which we are not interested ; the contrary , however , is certain , as the soothing endearments of friendship console us under affliction : and even in our pleasures we should be too solitary , too miserable , if we had nobody to partake them with us . If there be nothing moral in the heart of man , whence arise those transports of admiration and esteem we entertain for heroic
actions and . great minds ? What has this virtuous enthusiasm to do with our private interest ? Wherefore do I rather wish to be an expiring Caio than a triumphant Caesar ? Deprive our hearts of a natural affection for the sublime and beautiful , and you deprive us of all the pleasures of life . 'The man whose meaner passions have stifled in his narrow soul such delig htful sentiments ; he who , by dint of concentrating all
his affections within himself , hath arrived . at the pitch of having no regard for any one else , is no longer capable of such transports ; his frozen heart never , flutters with joy ; no sympathetic tenderness brings tears into his eves ; he is incapable of enjoyment ; the unhappy wretch is void of sensibility ; he is already dead . We know that nothing is more agreeable than the testimony of a
good conscience . The wicked man is afraid of , and shuns himself ; he turns his eyes on every side in search of objects to amuse him ; without an opportunity for satire and raillery he would be always sad ; his only pleasure lies in mockery and insult . On the contrary , the serenity of the just is internal ; his smiles are not those of malignity , but joy : the source of them is found in himself ; and he is as cheerful when alone , as in the midst of an assembly : he derives not contentmeat from those who approach him ; but communicates it to them .
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
Contemplations Of A Philosopher.
CONTEMPLATIONS OF A PHILOSOPHER .
IN establishing rules for my conduct in life , I pursue my own method : I deduce them not from the sublime principles of p hilosophy ; but find rhem written in indelible characters on my heart . I have only to consult myself concerning what I ought to do ; all that I feel to be rig * lit is riht ; whatever I feel to be wrong is wrong : conscience is the
g ablest of all casuists ; and it is only when we are trafficking with her , that we have recourse to the subtil ties of logical ratiocination : conscience is the voice of the soul ; the passions are the voice of the body . Reason deceives us often ; conscience , never : conscience is in the soul what instinct is in the body . Whoever puts himself under the conduct of this guide , pursues the direct path of nature , and need not fear to be
misled . If moral goodness be agreeable to our nature , a man cannot be sound of mind , or perfectly constituted , unless he be good . On the contrary , if it be not so , and man is naturally wicked , he cannot become good without a corruption of his nature ; goodness being evidently contrary to his constitution . Formed for the destruction of hi * fellow-creatures , as the wolf to devour its prey ; an humane and compassionate man would be as depraved an animal as a meek and lamb-like wolf , while virtue only would leave behind it the stings of remorse .
Let us examine ourselves , and see which way our inclinations tend . It has been said , that every thing is indifferent to us in which we are not interested ; the contrary , however , is certain , as the soothing endearments of friendship console us under affliction : and even in our pleasures we should be too solitary , too miserable , if we had nobody to partake them with us . If there be nothing moral in the heart of man , whence arise those transports of admiration and esteem we entertain for heroic
actions and . great minds ? What has this virtuous enthusiasm to do with our private interest ? Wherefore do I rather wish to be an expiring Caio than a triumphant Caesar ? Deprive our hearts of a natural affection for the sublime and beautiful , and you deprive us of all the pleasures of life . 'The man whose meaner passions have stifled in his narrow soul such delig htful sentiments ; he who , by dint of concentrating all
his affections within himself , hath arrived . at the pitch of having no regard for any one else , is no longer capable of such transports ; his frozen heart never , flutters with joy ; no sympathetic tenderness brings tears into his eves ; he is incapable of enjoyment ; the unhappy wretch is void of sensibility ; he is already dead . We know that nothing is more agreeable than the testimony of a
good conscience . The wicked man is afraid of , and shuns himself ; he turns his eyes on every side in search of objects to amuse him ; without an opportunity for satire and raillery he would be always sad ; his only pleasure lies in mockery and insult . On the contrary , the serenity of the just is internal ; his smiles are not those of malignity , but joy : the source of them is found in himself ; and he is as cheerful when alone , as in the midst of an assembly : he derives not contentmeat from those who approach him ; but communicates it to them .