Samuel Taylor Coleridge
Published: 2017-03-14
Total Pages: 266
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Excerpt from Biographia Literaria, or Biographical Sketches of My Literary Life and Opinions, Vol. 1: Part II It is the essential mark of the true philosopher to rest satisfied with no imperfect light, as long as the impossibility of attaining a fuller knowledge has not been demonstrated. That the common consciousness itself will furnish proofs by its own direction, that it is connected with master-currents below the surface, I shall merely assume as a postulate pro tempore. This having been granted, though but in expectation of the argument, I can safely deduce from it the equal truth of my former assertion, that philosophy cannot be in telligible to all, even of the most learned and culti vated classes. A system, the first principle of which it is to render the mind intuitive of the spiritual in man (i. E. Of that which lies on the other side of our natural consciousness) must needs have a great obson rity for those, who have never disciplined and strength ened this ulterior consciousness. It must in truth be a land of darkness, a perfect Anti Goshen, for men to whom the noblest treasures of their own being are reported only through the imperfect translation of life less and sightless motions. Perhaps, in great part, through words which are but the shadows of notions; even as the notional understanding itself is but the shadowy abstraction of living and actual truth. On the immediate, which dwells in every man, and on the original intuition, or absolute affirmation of it, (which is likewise in every man, but does not in every man rise into consciousness) all the certainty of our knowledge depends; and this becomes intelligible to no man by the ministery of mere words from without. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.