Malebranch's search after truth, or, A treatise of the nature of the humane mind and of its management for avoiding error in the sciences : vol I : done out of French from the last edition.

CHAP. XI.

I. Of the Error we are subject to in respect of the Action of Objects upon the External Fibres of our Senses.

II. The Cause of that Error.

III. An Objection and Answer.

IN this and the three following Chapters we shall Treat of these Four Things which are confounded and taken for pure Sensation; and shall only in ge∣neral explain the Errors we are subject to; because, if we should enter into particulars, it would be endless. Yet, I do not doubt, but I may so assist the Mind of such as will seriously Meditate upon what shall be said, as to make them capable of discovering with great facility all the Errors that are caused from our Senses; but it will be requisite then, that they shou'd think with fome application both upon the pre∣ceding and following Chapters.

The first of these things which we confound in all our Sensations, * 1.1 is the Action of Objects upon the Ex∣ternal Fibres of our Body. It is most certain that there is hardly any distinction made between the Sen∣sation of the Soul, and this Action of the Objects; of which there needs no proof; for Example, almost all Men imagine, that the heat they feel is in the Fire which causes it; that Light is in the Air, and Co∣lours upon Coloured Objects; they have no thoughts upon the Motions of fome imperceptible Bodies which cause these Sensations.

It is true, * 1.2 that they do not imagine that pain is in the Needle that pricks them, as they judge heat to be in the Fire; the reason is, because the Needle and its Action are visible, but the Particles of the Wood which go out from the Fire, and their Motion against our Hands are not seen; so that seeing nothing that

strikes our Hands when we warm our selves, and feeling heat, we naturally judge this heat to be in the Fire, because we see nothing else there.

So that 'tis commonly true, that we attribute our Sensations to Objects, when the Causes of these Sen∣sations are unknown to us, and because Pain and Titi∣tation are produced by sensible Bodies, as with a Needle, a Feather which we see and touch, and there∣fre we do not judge that there is any thing like to these Sentiments, in those Objects that cause them in us.

It is certain indeed, * 1.3 that we do not imagine that the burning is in the Fire, but only in the Hand, al∣though it is caused by Particles of the Wood as well as the Heat, which we always attribute to the Fire. But the reason of it is, the burning is a kind of Pain, and having many times judged that Pain is not in the External Body which Causes it, we are induced also to make the same Judgment of Burning.

What further persuades us to judge after this man∣ner, is, that Pain or Burning does strongly apply our Soul to the affected parts of our Bodies, and that diverts us from thinking on other things. Thus the Mind unites the Sensation of burning to that Object that is nearest to it. And because we soon after per∣ceive that the burning hath left fome visible Marks in that part where we felt the Pain, this confirms us in the Judgment we have made that the burning is in the Hand.

But this must not hinder us from receiving this ge∣neral Rule, that we use to attribute our Sensations to Objects, every time they act upon us by the Motion of fome invisible Particle. This is the reason that we ge∣nerally believe that Colours, Light, Odours, Taste, Sound, and fome other Sensations, are in the Air, or in the External Objects which cause them, because all Sensations are produced in us by the Motion of fome Imperceptible Bodies.

Notes

• * 1.1

  I. Of the Erro we are ju••ject to in respect to the Ob∣jects acting upon the Fibres of our Serses.
• * 1.2

  II. The Cause of the Error.
• * 1.3

  III. Objecti∣on.