The Literary Pancratium; or a Series of dissertations on theological, literary, moral, and controversial subjects

Front matter

THE LITERARY PANCRATIUM. THE LITERARY PANCRATIUM; OR A SERIES OF DISSERTATIONS OH THEOLOGICAL, LITERARY, MORAL, AND CONTROVERSIAL SUBJECTS. BY ROBERT CARR AND THOMAS SWINBURN CARR. " Nos genera degustamus* non bibliothecas discutimus." Quintil. Inst. lib. 10. c. 1. LONDON: S1MPK1N AND MARSHALL, STATIONERS' HALL COURT; W. CROFTS, 19, CHANCERY-LANE. MDCCCXXXII. R. aked, printer, keighlev. CONTENTS. PHILOSOPHY OF PREFACES. 1. Introductory remarks on prefaces. 2. Intellectual character of Johnson. 3. Lord Byron. 4. Strictures on the dogmatists. 5. Nature and character of apologetic prefaces. 6. Prospective emotions, p. 1. DISSERTATION I. ON KNOWLEDGE. 1. The natural dormancy of the human faculties. 2. The influence of association upon the intellectual character. 3. The gradual development of philosophy and science, p. 17. DISSERTATION II. ON THE IMMATERIALITY OF THE SOUL.

Section I

— 1. The necessity of adhering to strictness of definition, with respect to matter and spirit. 2. The interesting nature and importance of the inquiry, urged from the universality of the mental faculties — the connexion of an immaterial principle with a future state, and its greatness, with respect to its own intrinsic energies, and the noyiders which it has achieved. 3. Intelligence not a property of matter in its unorganized state, or more simple combinations. 4. A statement of the organic changes, which immediately precede sensation. 5. The mysterious connexion of matter and spirit favourable for the admission of hypotheses and the interposition of mechanical processes, p. 26.

Section II

— 6. The theories of modern materialists briefly stated. 7. The theory of Dr. Priestley refuted. 8. The theory of Bichat, Cuvier, and the French Philosophers examined. 9. The theory of Dr. Lawrence shewn to be untenable. 10. The phenomena of memory, etc., utterly inexplicable upon the theories of the materialists. 11. Strictures on modern scepticism. 12. Concluding observations on the dignity of man, with respect to his present faculties, and the prospect of an unfading existence, p. 37. DISSERTATION III. ON THE IMMORTALITY OF THE SOUL.

SECTION I.

— 1. In proof of the immortality of the soul no aid can be derived from metaphysical arguments. 2. From the soul being distinct from the body, and in many cases not affected by organic disease, a presumption may be drawn that the dissolution of the body may not be the dissolution of the principle of consciousness. 3. This presumption derives strength from the soul's capacity of indefinite improvement. 4. The moral disorders of the present administratinu appear to indicate a future one of impartial retribution, p. 50. VI CONTENTS.

SECTION II.

— 1. It is more easy to comprehend a truth, than to discover it. 2. The arguments in proof of the soul's immortality not so strongly felt by the ancient philosophers as the modern. 3. They had no accurate notions of the soul's immateriality. 4. Their metaphysical arguments were not very convincing. 5. Those drawn from the sublimity of our faculties, do not appear to have been felt as demonstrative. 6. Their ignorance of the origin of evil, darkened the argument drawn from the moral disorders of the present world. 7. Upon the supposition of a future state, it still had its difficulties, p. 62.

Section III

— 1. The doctrine of the immortality of the soul neutralized by the opinion which was held by many of the Greek Schools, concerning the absorption of the human soul after death, into the essence of the Deity. 2. The notion of a periodical destruction and renovation of the universe equally pernicious. 3. The uncertainty of many individual philosophers specified, but particularly of Cicero. 4. The poetical mythology concerning Tartarus and Elysium, regarded as a tissue of vulgar fables, p. 74. DISSERTATION IV. ON NATURAL RELIGION. 1. Strictures on the systems of natural religion. 2. The causes that have given rise to those systems. 3. Reasons demanded for the superiority of modern over ancient philosophers. 4. The dark condition of the Pagan philosophers rendered still darker by their fondness for speculation. 5. As far as the light of nature is concerned, no superiority can be allowed to the moderns, p. 88. DISSERTATION V. ON THE ORIGIN OF NATURAL RELIGION.

Section I

— 1. With respect to natural religion, the ancient philosophers enjoyed those benefits which might be derived from tradition. 2. From an acquaintance with the Jens. 3. From travelling in the East. 4. From the Greek translation of the Old Testament, p. 103. SECTION H.— 1. Ancient tradition, notwithstanding its corruption, may still be recognized. 2. The first corruption of it is to be charged upon the poets. 3. The philosophers sacrificed it in order to accommodate every thing to their own theories. 4. This maybe very clearly illustrated by the conduct of those philosophers who flourished after the Christian era. p. 114.

Section III

— 1. A recapitulation of the arguments which have been adduced in the preceding sections, with some additional observations. 2. Though we should forget, for a moment, the weight of this reasoning, the actual state of their philosophy is still a sufficient corroboration of the view which we have taken of the subject, p. 125. DISSERTATION VI. ON THOSE MENTAL ASSOCIATIONS WHICH PRECEDE AND FOLLOW DISCOVERIES.

Section I

— 1. The difficulty of investigating the deductions of the human mind, in circumstances with which we have no sympathy. 2. The difficulty, which accompanies all our investigations, is too apt to prejudice the mind, which is already habituated to knowledge as it is, against any attempts to improve it. 3. The influence of great names in perpetuating error. 4. Every age is tinctured with a vanity peculiar to itself, p. 137.

Section II

— 1. The vividness of any temporary emotion indicates a proportionate suspension of the reasoning faculties, and vice yersa, the predominance of the reasoning CONTENTS. VII faculties indicates a corresponding decline of the emotion. 2. This axiom is applicable to knowledge. 3. The faculty of knowing every thing by intuition, would perhaps not be compatible with our happiness in the present state. 4. When we are once enlightened upon a subject, it is almost impossible for us to call up those ideas and emotions which preceded the state of mind to which we allude. 5. Discoveries that appear trivial, are often attended with the most important results, p. 152. '

Section III

— 1. The necessity of diversified illustrations in argumentative disquisitions. 2. The advantages of studying the philosophy of the human mind. 3. An enumeration of the different sources of prejudices. 4. Observations upon the intellectual character ot Lord Bacon. 5. A general reflection, p. 180. DISSERTATION VII. ON LANGUAGE. 1. On the nature of language, and the facilities which it aflbrds for the unlimited transmission of thought. 2. The influence of the speculative spirit upon this question. 3. Theoretical histories of the primeval state of man and the world. 4. Language not the indispensable medium of actual thinking, p. 196. DISSERTATION VIII. ON THE EXISTENCE OF THE DEITY

Section I

— 1. Remarks on systems of classification, and the influence which they exert upon our ideas. 2. A sketch of the different periods in the intellectual history of man, and particularly of German rationalism. 3. An inquiry into the origin of our idea concerning the existence of the Deity, p. 226.