Philosophy of Theism: Being the Gifford Lectures Delivered Before the University of Edinburgh in 1895-96, Second SeriesScribner's, 1897 - 288 pages |
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Common terms and phrases
absolute abstract acts actual adaptations agency agnostic agnosticism become called causal changes conception continuous cosmical David Hume death ence eternal ethical existence expression faith and hope final faith finite Hegel human experience idea implied individual persons infinite intel intellectual intelligence interpretation involved knowledge latent lectures Leibniz living man's manifested meaning mind moral evil moral faith moral obligation moral or theistic moral trust morally responsible morally trustworthy mystery natural causes natural law natural science Natural Theology necessarily necessity nescience ness non-moral omnipotent Omniscience ontological organism pantheism perfect perfect Power phenomena philosophical theism philosophy physical causes physical miracles planet postulate present presupposed principle progress question rational recognised religion revelation sceptical seems sense sensuous sentient Spinoza spiritual supernatural supposed Supreme Power teleological temporal process theism theistic faith theistic trust theology things and persons thought tion unbeginning uninterpretable universe of reality unknowable verse visible whole wholly physical
Popular passages
Page 244 - For that which befalleth the sons of men befalleth beasts; even one thing befalleth them: as the one dieth, so dieth the other; yea, they have all one breath; so that a man hath no preeminence above a beast: for all is vanity. All go unto one place; all are of the dust, and all turn to dust again.
Page 6 - The invisible world, doth greatness make abode, There harbours; whether we be young or old, Our destiny, our being's heart and home, Is with infinitude, and only there ; With hope it is, hope that can never die, Effort, and expectation, and desire, And something evermore about to be.
Page 57 - ... in the entrance of philosophy, when the second causes, which are next unto the senses, do offer themselves to the mind of man, if it dwell and stay there, it may induce some oblivion of the highest cause ; but when a man passeth on...
Page 158 - But supposing, which is the real case with regard to man, that this creature is not antecedently convinced of a supreme intelligence, benevolent, and powerful, but is left to gather such a belief from the appearances of things; this entirely alters the case, nor will he ever find any reason for such a conclusion.
Page 129 - Goethe says, is not born to solve the problem of the universe, but to find out where the problem begins.
Page iii - FRASER. Philosophy of Theism. Being the Gifford Lectures delivered before the University of Edinburgh in 1894-95.
Page 64 - Law is God, say some: no God at all, says the fool; For all we have power to see is a straight staff bent in a pool; And the ear of man cannot hear, and the eye of man cannot see; But if we could see and hear, this Vision— were it not He?
Page 33 - I assume a something, the proof of which no man can give to another, yet every man may find for himself. If any man assert that he cannot find it, I am bound to disbelieve him. I cannot do otherwise without unsettling the very foundations of my own moral nature. For I either find it as an essential of the humanity common to him and me : or I have not found it at all, except as an hypochondrias!
Page 74 - The whole chorus of nature raises one hymn to the praises of its Creator. You alone, or almost alone, disturb this general harmony. You start abstruse doubts, cavils, and objections; you ask me what is the cause of this cause? I know not; I care not; that concerns not me. I have found a Deity; and here I stop my inquiry. Let those go farther who are wiser or more enterprising.
Page 84 - But to waive all objections drawn from this topic, I affirm that there are other parts of the universe (besides the machines of human invention) which bear still a greater resemblance to the fabric of the world, and which, therefore, afford a better conjecture concerning the universal origin of this system.