|
|
||
 |
|
|
|
|
||
|
|
||
|
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|
||
|
CLASSICAL ESSAY |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|||||
|
by Bernardino Telesio
Be it permitted to mention that even though the spirit in animals drawn from the sperms shall be considered the substance of the soul, it does not follow that one shall also take this spirit as the substance of the soul of man, because not only the Holy Script but even human reasons convince us that in man dwells another entirely divine substance placed here by God himself. We recognize in man, namely, actions, sufferings and strivings quite distinct from animals, which must be ascribed to a higher substance than the spirit drawn from the sperms; for man is not satisfied, as the rest of the animals are, with sensation, cognitions and enjoyments of the things that feed, conserve and please him, but he also investigates with greatest zeal the substance and effects of such things as are of no use to him and cannot even be conceived by any sense, especially those concerning the divine essence and divinity. Nay, he even forgets, disdains and neglects, while persistently and blissfully contemplating them, even that which pertains to the well-being and enjoyment of his body. Entirely in opposition to the other animals, which are satisfied with the goods that maintain them and make them sufficiently happy and neither desire nor ask for anything beyond that man alone finds no satisfaction in the present goods, whatever they might be, but shows by his outlook on the future, his longing for the remote and the prediction of a still happier life that there is a substance, a spirit in him that tends anxiously toward his Creator and Father (God) as toward his highest and proper good, and, being deprived of the intuition of it, he cannot he enticed by anything to such a degree that he could forget it or would not crave it. Finally, the intellect of man considers evil men, even if he sees them in highest abundance and happiness, as contemptible and pitiful, but he likes, honors and considers happy the good ones. This proves too that here is in man a divine sense that is a divine substance and nature. |
The Dream of Reason: A History of Philosophy from the Greeks to the Renaissance, by Anthony Gottlieb
|
||||
|
Enrich Your Life With a Philosophy Book... Enrich Your Life With a Philosophy Magazine...
|
|||||
|
|
|||||
|
|
||
|
|
||
[Homepage] [Newsletter] [Search] [Support the Academy] [Link to Us] [Contact the Academy] [Citing Articles from Our Website] [Privacy Policy & Disclaimer]
Copyright 1998-99, 2000-01, 2002-03, & 2004 by The Radical Academy. All Rights Reserved.