work_id,theme,provenance,created_at,text,reviewed_on,id,comments,metaphor,dictionary,updated_at,context
3931,Lockean Philosophy,Reading Burnet's three Remarks,2005-03-15 00:00:00 UTC,"As to the First: I wonder how you can observe that your Soul sometimes does not think; for when you do observe it, you think. If a man cou'd think and not think at the same time, he might be able to make this Observation. But howsoever that be, I do not understand how the Soul, if she be at any time utterly without Thoughts, what it is that produces the first Thought again, at the end of that unthinking Interval. You say Matter cannot produce a Thought; and you say an unthinking Substance cannot produce a Thought: and I know nothing in (unthinking) Man, but one of these two. What is it then that lights the Candle again, when it is put out? Besides I am utterly at a loss how to frame any Idea of a dead Soul, or of s Spirit without Life or Thoughts. What is the Soul when it does not think? what Idea or Definition can you give of her in that State? she be actually something if she exist. She must then have some Properties whereby she may be defin'd or describ'd; something whereby she is distinguished from Nothing, and from Matter. What Security can we have upon this Supposition, that we shall not fall into this Sleep at Death? and so continue without Life or Thought? And bare being is but the immortality of a senseless Stone. You think also which is more surprising, that Angels sleep by fits. If Angels have Bodies, there may be some pretence for this: but if they have no Bodies, they can have no Fumes or Vapors that cause Sleep, nor any wast of Spirits to be recruited. [etc.]
(pp. 8-9)",,10189,"","""What is it then that lights the Candle again, when it is put out?""","",2009-09-14 19:34:47 UTC,""
3931,Lockean Philosophy,Reading Burnet's three Remarks,2005-03-15 00:00:00 UTC,"[...] You compare Cogitation in a Spirit, to Motion in a Body, and so Cessation from Thought in a a Spirit, must answer to Rest in a Body. Now, when a Body is in Rest, there must be some Cause to put it into Motion; I enquire therefore what Cause is, which in the quietism of a Spirit (Humane or Angelical) ro State of Noncogitation, brings it to Thoughts again.
(p. 10)",,10190,•End of previous paragraph. I haven't the patience to transcribe the whole paragraph. ,"""You compare Cogitation in a Spirit, to Motion in a Body, and so Cessation from Thought in a a Spirit, must answer to Rest in a Body""","",2009-09-14 19:34:47 UTC,""
3931,Blank Slate; Lockean Philosophy,Reading Burnet's three Remarks,2005-03-15 00:00:00 UTC,"But whatsoever you fancy concerning the Sleep of Angels, or of the Soul, I am satisfy'd that it is no sufficient Argument to prove that we have no Thoughts in our Sleep, because we do not always remember them; for the same happens to us often when we are awake. If we shou'd observe Pythagoras his Rule, to call our selves to an account every Evening, for the Actions and Thoughts of that Day, I believe we shou'd find many vacant spaces within the compass of a Day, which we cou'd not fill up with Thoughts, nor call to mind what we did or mus'd upon every Minute or Hour. Many fleeting Thoughts pass through the Soul without Observation, and leave no Trace or Idea behind them; and accordingly we forget sometimes in a trice what we had done just before. I'm sure in on Instance this often happens to me, I often go to wind up my Watch again, when I had wound it up not ten Minutes before. And the same thing may be observ'd in many other Instances. Nay, even in Matters of immediate sensation, we sometimes do not perceive that which plainly is expos'd to our Senses; we overlook a thing that lies before our Eyes, and we seek for that which we hold in our Hands. What does not strike us with some Briskness, we little mind when present, and less remember when past and absent. If while we are awake these things happen to us, methinks it cannot be expected, that we shou'd attend and remember all our sleepy Thoughts, when the Impressions are more dull and faint: The Thoughts wandering, fortuitous, and commonly inconnected one with another. When the Impressions happen to be stronf, so as to excite Pain, or Pleasure, or any Passion, we remember them, and many times they awake us. But if they are weak, as generally they are in Sleep, we think no more of the. But yet it often happens that next Day, or some Days after, some Accident or Discourse brings to our Mind such a Dream; which without that Occasion, wou'd have quite slipt our Memory, and wou'd never have been recall'd or thought of again. This shews that we may dream of many things that we do not remember, without some particular Occasion. The Brain in Sleep is moist, something like that of Infants or Children: And you wou'd put a Child to a hard Task, to tell you at Night, all that had pass'd that Day in his PLay or his Talk, and much more in his Thoughts. So I shou'd think you a hard Task-Master, if you shou'd put us to count to you all the childish Thoughts we had in the silent Night, and in a sound Sleep.
(pp. 10-11)",,10191,•INTEREST. There is here the suggestion of the blank page of a journal.,"""If we shou'd observe Pythagoras his Rule, to call our selves to an account every Evening, for the Actions and Thoughts of that Day, I believe we shou'd find many vacant spaces within the compass of a Day, which we cou'd not fill up with Thoughts.""","",2009-09-14 19:34:47 UTC,""
3931,Lockean Philosophy,Reading Burnet's three Remarks,2005-03-15 00:00:00 UTC,"But whatsoever you fancy concerning the Sleep of Angels, or of the Soul, I am satisfy'd that it is no sufficient Argument to prove that we have no Thoughts in our Sleep, because we do not always remember them; for the same happens to us often when we are awake. If we shou'd observe Pythagoras his Rule, to call our selves to an account every Evening, for the Actions and Thoughts of that Day, I believe we shou'd find many vacant spaces within the compass of a Day, which we cou'd not fill up with Thoughts, nor call to mind what we did or mus'd upon every Minute or Hour. Many fleeting Thoughts pass through the Soul without Observation, and leave no Trace or Idea behind them; and accordingly we forget sometimes in a trice what we had done just before. I'm sure in on Instance this often happens to me, I often go to wind up my Watch again, when I had wound it up not ten Minutes before. And the same thing may be observ'd in many other Instances. Nay, even in Matters of immediate sensation, we sometimes do not perceive that which plainly is expos'd to our Senses; we overlook a thing that lies before our Eyes, and we seek for that which we hold in our Hands. What does not strike us with some Briskness, we little mind when present, and less remember when past and absent. If while we are awake these things happen to us, methinks it cannot be expected, that we shou'd attend and remember all our sleepy Thoughts, when the Impressions are more dull and faint: The Thoughts wandering, fortuitous, and commonly inconnected one with another. When the Impressions happen to be stronf, so as to excite Pain, or Pleasure, or any Passion, we remember them, and many times they awake us. But if they are weak, as generally they are in Sleep, we think no more of the. But yet it often happens that next Day, or some Days after, some Accident or Discourse brings to our Mind such a Dream; which without that Occasion, wou'd have quite slipt our Memory, and wou'd never have been recall'd or thought of again. This shews that we may dream of many things that we do not remember, without some particular Occasion. The Brain in Sleep is moist, something like that of Infants or Children: And you wou'd put a Child to a hard Task, to tell you at Night, all that had pass'd that Day in his PLay or his Talk, and much more in his Thoughts. So I shou'd think you a hard Task-Master, if you shou'd put us to count to you all the childish Thoughts we had in the silent Night, and in a sound Sleep.
(pp. 10-11)",,10192,•INTEREST. Great description of absent-mindedness.,"""Many fleeting Thoughts pass through the Soul without Observation, and leave no Trace or Idea behind them""","",2009-09-14 19:34:47 UTC,""
3931,Lockean Philosophy,Reading Burnet's three Remarks,2005-03-15 00:00:00 UTC,"But whatsoever you fancy concerning the Sleep of Angels, or of the Soul, I am satisfy'd that it is no sufficient Argument to prove that we have no Thoughts in our Sleep, because we do not always remember them; for the same happens to us often when we are awake. If we shou'd observe Pythagoras his Rule, to call our selves to an account every Evening, for the Actions and Thoughts of that Day, I believe we shou'd find many vacant spaces within the compass of a Day, which we cou'd not fill up with Thoughts, nor call to mind what we did or mus'd upon every Minute or Hour. Many fleeting Thoughts pass through the Soul without Observation, and leave no Trace or Idea behind them; and accordingly we forget sometimes in a trice what we had done just before. I'm sure in on Instance this often happens to me, I often go to wind up my Watch again, when I had wound it up not ten Minutes before. And the same thing may be observ'd in many other Instances. Nay, even in Matters of immediate sensation, we sometimes do not perceive that which plainly is expos'd to our Senses; we overlook a thing that lies before our Eyes, and we seek for that which we hold in our Hands. What does not strike us with some Briskness, we little mind when present, and less remember when past and absent. If while we are awake these things happen to us, methinks it cannot be expected, that we shou'd attend and remember all our sleepy Thoughts, when the Impressions are more dull and faint: The Thoughts wandering, fortuitous, and commonly inconnected one with another. When the Impressions happen to be stronf, so as to excite Pain, or Pleasure, or any Passion, we remember them, and many times they awake us. But if they are weak, as generally they are in Sleep, we think no more of the. But yet it often happens that next Day, or some Days after, some Accident or Discourse brings to our Mind such a Dream; which without that Occasion, wou'd have quite slipt our Memory, and wou'd never have been recall'd or thought of again. This shews that we may dream of many things that we do not remember, without some particular Occasion. The Brain in Sleep is moist, something like that of Infants or Children: And you wou'd put a Child to a hard Task, to tell you at Night, all that had pass'd that Day in his Play or his Talk, and much more in his Thoughts. So I shou'd think you a hard Task-Master, if you shou'd put us to count to you all the childish Thoughts we had in the silent Night, and in a sound Sleep.
(pp. 10-11)",2011-04-26,10193,"","""The Brain in Sleep is moist, something like that of Infants or Children: And you wou'd put a Child to a hard Task, to tell you at Night, all that had pass'd that Day in his Play or his Talk, and much more in his Thoughts.""","",2011-04-26 17:14:20 UTC,""