"But the anatomist of the mind cannot have the same advantage."
— Reid, Thomas (1710-1796)
Author
Place of Publication
London and Edinburgh
Publisher
Printed for A. Millar and A. Kincaid & J. Bell
Date
1764
Metaphor
"But the anatomist of the mind cannot have the same advantage."
Metaphor in Context
An anatomist who hath happy opportunities, may have access to examine with his own eyes, and with equal accuracy, bodies of all different ages, sexes, and conditions; so that what is defective, obscure, or preternatural in one, may be discerned clearly, and in its most perfect state, in another. But the anatomist of the mind cannot have the same advantage. It is his own mind only that he can examine, with any degree of accuracy and distinctness. This is the only subject he can look into. He may, from outward signs, collect the operations of other minds; but these signs are for the most part ambiguous, and must be interpreted by what he perceives within himself.
(I.ii, p. 13)
(I.ii, p. 13)
Categories
Provenance
Reading
Citation
An Inquiry into the Human Mind, on the Principles of Common Sense. By Thomas Reid, D. D. Professor of Philosophy in King's College, Aberdeen (Edinburgh: Printed for A. Millar and A. Kincaid & J. Bell, 1764). <Link to ECCO>
The third edition is available in Google Books <Link>
See also fourth edition of 1785, which serves as the copy text for Derek Brookes' critical edition published by The Pennsylvania State University Press, 1997.
See also fourth edition of 1785, which serves as the copy text for Derek Brookes' critical edition published by The Pennsylvania State University Press, 1997.
Date of Entry
03/06/2011
