It is a point which seems
to me to be put out of the reach of our knowledge: and he who will
give himself leave to consider freely, and look into the dark and
intricate part of each hypothesis, will scarce find his reason able to
determine him fixedly for or against the soul's materiality. Since, on
which side soever he views it, either as an unextended substance, or
as a thinking extended matter, the difficulty to conceive either will,
whilst either alone is in his thoughts, still drive him to the
contrary side. An unfair way which some men take with themselves: who,
because of the inconceivableness of something they find in one,
throw themselves violently into the contrary hypothesis, though
altogether as unintelligible to an unbiassed understanding. This
serves not only to show the weakness and the scantiness of our
knowledge, but the insignificant triumph of such sort of arguments;
which, drawn from our own views, may satisfy us that we can find no
certainty on one side of the question: but do not at all thereby
help us to truth by running into the opposite opinion; which, on
examination, will be found clogged with equal difficulties. For what
safety, what advantage to any one is it, for the avoiding the
seeming absurdities, and to him unsurmountable rubs, he meets with
in one opinion, to take refuge in the contrary, which is built on
something altogether as inexplicable, and as far remote from his
comprehension? It is past controversy, that we have in us something
that thinks; our very doubts about what it is, confirm the certainty
of its being, though we must content ourselves in the ignorance of
what kind of being it is: and it is in vain to go about to be
sceptical in this, as it is unreasonable in most other cases to be
positive against the being of anything, because we cannot comprehend
its nature.
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