Descartes.
77. I cannot forgive Descartes. In all his philosophy he would have been
quite willing to dispense with God. But he had to make Him give a fillip to
set the world in motion; beyond this, he has no further need of God.
78. Descartes useless and uncertain.
79. Descartes.--We must say summarily: "This is made by figure and motion,"
for it is true. But to say what these are, and to compose the machine, is
ridiculous. For it is useless, uncertain, and painful. And were it true, we
do not think all Philosophy is worth one hour of pain.
80. How comes it that a cripple does not offend us, but that a fool does?
Because a cripple recognises that we walk straight, whereas a fool declares
that it is we who are silly; if it were not so, we should feel pity and not
anger.
Epictetus asks still more strongly: "Why are we not angry if we are told
that we have a headache, and why are we angry if we are told that we reason
badly, or choose wrongly"? The reason is that we are quite certain that we
have not a headache, or are not lame, but we are not so sure that we make a
true choice. So, having assurance only because we see with our whole sight,
it puts us into suspense and surprise when another with his whole sight sees
the opposite, and still more so when a thousand others deride our choice.
For we must prefer our own lights to those of so many others, and that is
bold and difficult. There is never this contradiction in the feelings
towards a cripple.
81. It is natural for the mind to believe and for the will to love; so that,
for want of true objects, they must attach themselves to false.
82. Imagination.--It is that deceitful part in man, that mistress of error
and falsity, the more deceptive that she is not always so; for she would be
an infallible rule of truth, if she were an infallible rule of falsehood.
