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Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software. The text has not been manually corrected and should not be relied on to be an accurate representation of the item.
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busness ^ are conscious oFi Does any owe fe ^ l conscious that ? her can prefer one of > tveo things that appear to him exactly alike , between which he cannot perceive the minutest difference ? Is i not 'this tlie very circumstance - \ vMch brings the mind to a 8 taad ^ and inakes it hesitate in ; its choice ? ; ft'caaanot'deteari
mine , it knows' not how ^ to choosfe , because it perceives nothing which may- -give the preponderance . * It * may continue hesitating- some time , all the while striding ) to discover a diflferfence , that that difference ^ may give the preponderance to the one or the dther . And if it were a matt % r in which it was
not called upon tp decide , bo determination ^ woul d be made . But in a cas e in which it must 'decide , the mind catches hold of any eirfcumstance ; it will at one time ^ ak $ t&at object which is nearest , at another . 'time that which
is farthest off , merely Because the one idea or the other- occurs first to the thought . Just as I : have heard of persons setting out to take a wa 8 k > undetermined which vray to go , decide by holding , a stick or > cane upright 6 ti
the ground , and . ' ) whiefi < ever way tlie stick fell , pursuing that direction . But does not every case o £ this kind im |> Jy the ' very fact for * wshich the Necessity rian contends , —that without a motive , without a oreferencei without soiritu T without a preference ^ without some
thing to determine the choice , nd choice can be made ? In referring the matter to consciousness , it appears absolutely necessary that the mind should stand entirely free from every bias , and at the same time should sd
firmly i and distinctly reflect and reeol-Jeet each step of its progress from the proposition , through the various stages of hesitation and volition to action , as to know assuredly the whole path it has passed , and perceive clearly each
pace it has stepped . Many , from the very evanescent nature of the operations off volitions , and from having never inured their minds to reflect , to look back ' and attend
minutely to what has passed within , c $ n give hardly any account of what led to their volitions . : Not recollecting qffi- L thing of the mind's progress , no wonder they should say , they willed it , because . they willed it . They felt ^ - theyiwaere conscious of—what ? ' TJhat they chose without making a choice ? Thai they preferred vWthbut perceiving
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any difference ? No one can mamtajiri that . It only amounts to this : the impassion wa ^ so ^ va ^ escefnt that it tanriot be reeollectedi . And this ^ eenis to be ^ con&med by tl ^ eircumstanee , that in ciises in v ^ Mch ^ ti ^ mind is obliged to ^ tieciflfe M * y ^^ f ^^^ i % the rQat ^^ i so'tib ^ fl ^ t ^ iie ^ i ^ ltfinfe
tleKbdr ^ i ^ oi ^ i ^ pre ^ aii ^ W hurry of spirits occasions ^ confusion of thought , even the mote reflecting feel themselves as unable to recall the it&i ~ sons of their determinations as do others ; white they ttt&y 1 acfcri 6 # ldd ^ e , at tfcer same tiinefl ^ Mi ^^ Kribvv tlieV "MA
a reasoh , though- t ^ ey canhdt [ ' no ^ r recollect what ir # ^ i ^ fii more iibportant concernsi w&enrtTie' imndHiietfei--mines calmly ; dfelibfeiiately , 1 kfteFWeigh ± - ia ^ the arguments to each 'M < k £ to the reflecting the re ^ asdns of their de ^ ikldh are ' apparent ; kadlii' ^ u ^ cstses they may be partially ^ &t I kf ^ if hpt alto
gether so , even to tb ^/ le % r thb % htfui : Maying these facts ; t 6 ]| ether , tfiat ^ in pu ^ portion as we' a ^ ! toorfe ; iimre ^ o reflection on what pa 3 sfeslfWithiir u ^ - ^ - as we determine Mtfre" ed ^ Hy , ' calmlV ; dispassionately , xvftM * fc m&r $ : < riearrf exabt refcolle ^ tion of ^ thiE ? whole pr 6 c < &k of the mind , we ^ discoveit tMt Wit vbfit
tions are decided bjr mib % iv ^ , stm W&i the far larger part ^ f ou ^^ olKjioiisahil thoughts are ^ x ^ diiigl ^ ^ Vahesc ^ mt ^ s ^ wfiat reason caa bfe gi ^ eh' vifiif ^ g should conclude , thfit in the latter te ^ e wb grrei guided by ^ a ' s 61 f ^ a ^ ttn ? mmj&i power ( of thei will / tHbti | li in thfe btner case ^ we » are ^ tofall ^ . ' dfeterttiitted by motives ? We ctonot h £ sai < i W Be con ^ cibus of that 6 f \ WhicK ^ e Raie ' tib
recollection . In tHe wtik ^ ctetit BteleS ; then , we cannot say that we iare conscious of acting by tt scitf ^ etermihirig power . We are conscious oiiljp tliaft we have forgotten ^ he reas 6 ns which determined us . In prbi ) 6 r € i 6 n as ~ rt £ ascend in the scale of disthict , vivid recollection and i ^ lin deliberation , we
perceive more clearly , ^ re bec 6 m £ ihorfe and more conscious , bt the influence 6 ¥ motives . Every argument fifphi toalogy then would lead us to c 6 riiltide , that motives miist be the swaying iidwfer in all cases , ' which . c < fa $ ci < tyhiWs
informs us fei ao in thfe tnore dfetiiifet ones . •¦ - ¦ ¦ ¦ ¦ ' i « ' - >/* '¦ ^>^ f'i [ ' •* r / rn [We said like wise , that ; the \ rh | rid of tdm who is to di& ^ W ^^ tfdosciws * of fOftili ^ by' a ^ ff ^ fe « irli 4 ffiing power , sh <^« W fi * e ^ ® bWm < &Y
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7 S 8 M * t-W ^**^ ^
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Citation
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Monthly Repository (1806-1838) and Unitarian Chronicle (1832-1833), Dec. 2, 1820, page 728, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse.ac.uk/periodicals/mruc/issues/vm2-ncseproduct2495/page/40/
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