A philosophical amusement upon the language of beasts / Written originally in French. By Father Bougeant ... , now confined at La Fleche on account of this work.
- Bougeant, père, 1690-1743. Amusement philosophique sur le langage des bêtes
- Date:
- 1739
Licence: Public Domain Mark
Credit: A philosophical amusement upon the language of beasts / Written originally in French. By Father Bougeant ... , now confined at La Fleche on account of this work. Source: Wellcome Collection.
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![[ 6 ] which perfuades me to the contrary : And this Sentiment it is, which for ever will contradid the Cartefian Opinion in the Minds of Men. It is likely therefore that this Philofopher, whofe Ge¬ nius was lb tranfcendent, elpoufed a Syftem fb very oppofite to our Notions out of meer Frolick, and for no other purpofe but to contradift the Pe¬ ripatetics, to whom he was a profelfed Enemy, and whofe Syftem upon the Underftanding of Beads in reality is not to be maintained. Thefe Gentlemen who, according to the dark Principles of their unintelligible Philofophy, aft figned to Bodies a fubftantial and material Form, diftinél however from Matter, and which was in them the Principle of all their Adlions, would not doubtlefs refufe to Beads a Form of this Kind. On the other Hand, as they allowed that Beads were indowed with Sentiment and Knowledge, I and a&ed according to Knowledge and Senti? ment *, they fain would have attributed to them a fpiritual Soul like that of Man: But this the Principles of Chriftianity did not allow. And really if Beafts had a fpiritual Soul, that Soul fhould then be immortal and free, it fhould be capable of meriting or of doing amifs, of Recom- penfe or of Punifhment : They fhould have a Pa- radife and a Hell appointed for them ; Beafts fhould be a Kind of Men, or Men a Kind of Beafts*, all which Confequences are unwarrant¬ able by the Principles of Religion. The Peripa¬ tetics ^ thus obliged to be contented with their fubftantial-material Form, to avoid one Inconve¬ nience fell into another, being of courfe obliged to fay that this fubftantial Form was in Beafts the Principle of their Knowledge and Actions, the moft ablurd Sentiment according to the eftabliftfd Principles of Philofophy and Religion. For in the eftablilhed Philofophy we know only two Sub- ftances »](https://iiif.wellcomecollection.org/image/b30376166_0014.jp2/full/800%2C/0/default.jpg)
