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. I.

I. Of the Imagination of Women.

II. Of that of Men,

III. Of that of Old People.

WE have given some Idea in the other Pa•••• of the Physical Causes, that occasion the Irregularity of the Imagination of Men. In This, we shall endeavour to make some Application of those Causes, to the General Er∣rors of the Imagination, and we shall likewise Treat of the Causes of those Errors, which may be term'd Moral.

It may be seen, by what has been said in the fore∣going Chapter, that the extream fineness of the Fibres of the Brain is one of the Principal Causes that hin∣der us from applying our selves with so much thought and study as we ought, to the Discovery of Truths that are but a little Mysterious.

I. This extream smallness of Fibres is usually met with in Women; * 1.1 and thence it is that their Under∣standing is so great in every thing that strikes the Senses. 'Tis for Women to determine Fa••••••ons, to judge of Language, to distinguish Beauty, and Genteel

Manners. In such things as these their Knowledge, Capacity, and Acuteness surpasses that of Men. What∣ever depends upon the Senses is under their Jurisdicti∣tion; but usually they are unable to dive into Truths, that are any thing difficult to be discover'd. What∣ever is Abstracted, to them is incomprehensible. They cannot make use of their Imagination to unfold intangl'd and intricate Questions. They only consider the outside of things; nor has their Imagination either Strength or Extent enough to penetrate to the Bottom, or to Compare all the Parts without distracting them∣selves. A Trifle puts them out of the way; the least noise affrights 'em; the slightest Motion finds 'em work. In short, the Manner and not the Reality of things, is sufficient to fill the whole Capacity of their Mind; because the smallest Objects producing vio∣lent Motions in the Delicate Fibres of the Brain, raise in the Soul those Sentiments which are active and large enough to possess it wholly.

If it be certain that this delicacie of the Fibres of the Brain is the Principal Cause of these Effects, 'tis not so sure however that 'tis to be met with in all Women; but admit it be, their Animal Spirits have some times such a proportion with the Fibres of their Brains, that there are some Women who have more Solidity of Judgment then some Men. For the strength of Wit consists in a certain Temperament of the gross∣ness and Agitation of the Animal Spirits with the Fibres of the Brain; and Women sometimes have this same just and Equal Constitution. There are some Women strong and constant, others feeble and incon∣stant. There are some Women Learned, Courageous, and Capable of every Thing. On the other side, there are some Men unactive and Effeminate, uncapa∣ble of understanding or doing any Thing. In short, when we attribute any Defects to this or that Sex, to certain Ages, or such and such Conditions, we mean it with a proviso, for the most part; supposing always, that there is no general Rule without an Exception.

For it is not to be imagin'd, that all Men, or all Women, of the same Age, Country, or Family, have

Brain of the same Constitution. 'Tis more proper to believe, that as we cannot meet with two Faces that resemble each other in every Lineament, so we cannot meet with two Imaginations that are absolutely alike; and that all Men, Women, and Children, differ one from another in the grosser or more resin'd delicacy of the Fibres of the Brain. For as we are not over hasti∣ly to suppose an Essential Identity between Things, amongst which we see no Difference, so neither are we to make Essential Differences, where we do not find a Perfect Identity; for these are the Errors into which we usually fall.

That which is then to be said concerning the Fibres of the Brain, is this, that they are very soft, and very small in Children; that with Age they harden and get strength; that nevertheless they are extreamly small in the generality of Women, and in some Men, all their Life-time. There is nothing more to be de∣termin'd. And this may suffice to be said of Women and Children, that as they make it not their Business to search after Truth and instruct others, so their Errors are not very prejudicial; for they are seldom believ'd in those things which they advance. Let us therefore speak of Men full grown; whose Wit is in its full strength and vigor; and who may be thought capable to sind out the Truth and teach it to Others.

II. The usual time that the Mind and Understand∣ing of Man are in their greatest perfection, * 1.2 is from Thirty to fifty years: At that Age the Fibres of the Brain have generally acquir'd a moderate consistence. The Pleasures and Pains of the Senses for the most part make no farther Impression upon 'em; so that they need no more then to defend themselves from violent Passions, which rarely happen, and this they may do, provided they carefully avoid all occasions that excite 'em; so that the Soul being no longer distracted with such kind of Interruptions, may with more ease apply it self to the Contemplation of Truth.

A Man in such an Estate, and who has quitted the prejudices of his Infancy, who from his Youth

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has acquir'd a Promptness to Meditation, who not only retains a clear and distinct Notions of the Mind, and carefully rejects all the confus'd Idea's of the Senses, and who has both leisure and a Wit to meditate, such a Man will hardly fall into Errors. But 'tis not of such a Man that we are now to Dis∣course; 'tis of the common sort of Men, who for the most part are of another Constitution.

The Consistence then, which we meet with at the years of Discretion in the Fibres of Mens Brains, is the cause, if it may be so said, of the Solidity and Consistence of their Errors: 'Tis the Seal that Seals their Prejudices, and all their false Opinions, and shelters 'em from the strength of Reason. In a word, the more Advantageous this Constitution of the Fibres of the Brain is to Persons well Educated, the more Disadvantageous it is to the greatest part of Men, since it confirms both the one and the other in their Present Thoughts and Opinions.

But Men are not only confirm'd in their Errors, when they are arriv'd at the Age of Forty or Fifty years; they are also more subject to fall into new ones; because, that believing themselves at that time able to judge of every thing, as indeed it would be∣come 'em to be so, they decide with presumption, and only consult their own Prepossessions; for Men never argue upon things, but in some relation to those Idea's which are most familiar to 'em. When a Chymist would Argue about some Natural Body, presently his Three Principles come into his Mind. A Peripatic immediately thinks of the four Elements, and the four first Qualities; another Philosopher refers every thing to other Principles. So that nothing can enter into the Mind of Man, which is not immediately infected with the Errors to which it is subject, or which does not augment the number of its Errors.

This Consistence of the Fibres of the Brain pro∣duces another very bad Effect, especially in Persons more advanced in years, which is, to make 'em un∣capable of Meditation: They cannot set themselves to the Consideration of those Things which they de∣sire

to know; and so they can never penetrate into those Truths which are but a little conceal'd. They cannot relish the most Rational Sentiments, when they are supported by Principles which appear new to them; though they are otherwise very intelligent in things of which their years have given 'em great Expe∣rience. But all that I have here said extends no far∣ther, than only to such as have spent their Youth without making use of their Wit or applying them∣selves to Study.

To clear these things, 'tis requisite to know, that we cannot learn any thing whatever it be, without giving our minds to it, and that we cannot be atten∣tive upon any thing, if we do not imagine, and ad∣mit a lively representation of it into the Brains. Now, that we may imagine Objects, 'tis necessary that some some part of the Brain give way, or that there should be imprinted on it some other Motion, that so it may be able to form the Traces which are affix'd to the Idea's that represent those Objects to us; so that if the Fibres of the Brain are but a little harden'd, they will admit no Inclinations or Motions, but what they were formerly accustom'd to. Whence it comes to pass, that the Soul can never imagin, nor conse∣quently be attentive upon what it desires, but only upon things that are familiar to it.

From hence we must conclude, that it is of great advantage for a Man to Exercise himself in me••it ••t∣ing upon all sorts of Subjects, that so he may be able to acquire a Readiness to think upon what he pleases. For as we acquire an extraordinary facility to stir our Fingers after various manners, and with a swiftness even to wonder, by frequent use in playing upon In∣struments; so the Parts of the Brain, the Motion o•• which is requisite to imagine what we desire, do by use and custom acquire a certain easiness and slexibility; which is the reason that Things are imagin'd more easily, more readily, and more distinctly.

Now the best way to acquire this Habitude, which makes the chief distinction betwixt a Wise Man and another Person, is to accustom our selves in our youth

to search after the truth of such things as are very difficult, because at that Age the Fibres are more pliable and apt to give way.

Nevertheless I do not pretend that this Facility is to be acquir'd by those who are call'd Men of Study, yet make it their business only to read without me∣ditating, and without searching of themselves, the Decision of a Question before they read it in an Au∣thor: For 'tis visible, that by that means only a Man acquires a facility to remember things that he has read. 'Tis every day observable, that they who read much, can never apply their Minds to new things that are told 'em, and that the vanity of their Learning hur∣rying 'em to judge of those things before they have conceiv'd 'em in their Minds, throws 'em into those Errors▪ which other Men avoid.

But though the want of Application be the princi∣pal Cause of their Errors, there is one that is peculiar to 'em. That in regard they always carry in their Memories an infinite number of confus'd Species, they presently choose out some one which they look upon to be the Subject of the Dispute, and because the Things that are told 'em do not agree therewith, they judge ridiculously that their Opponent is deceiv'd. If you make it out to 'em, that they themselves are de∣ceiv'd, and that they do not so much as understand the State of the Question, then they are mad, and not able to apprehend what is said to 'em, and they still keep stedfast to the first false Species which their Me∣mory presented to 'em. If you shew 'em their Mi∣stake too apparently, they will start a Second and a Third, which they will defend sometimes against all Appearance of Truth; nay, even against their own Consciences; because they have no respect or love for Truth, and because they are asham'd to acknowledge, that there are some things which others know better than themselves.

What ever has been said concerning Persons of Forty or Fifty years of Age, * 1.3 with more Reason ought to be understood of Old Men, because the Fibres of their Brain are still more inflexible, and that for want

of Animal Spirits to trace out new Footsteps, their Imagination becomes altogether languishing. And because the Fibres of their Brain are usually inter∣mixt with many superfluous Humours, therefore they loose by little and little the memory of things past, and fall into Infirmities that are common to Children. So that in their decrepit Age they have those Defects which depend upon the Constitution of the Fibres of the Brain, which are to be met with both in Children and grown Men; though it may be said that they are Wiser than either, because they are no longer so sub∣ject to their Passions, which proceed from the vehe∣ment Agitation of the Animal Spirits.

We shall not undertake any farther Explanation of these things, because it is easie to make a judgment of this Age, by the others that we have spoken of before, and to conclude from thence, that Old Men with much more difficulty conceive what is said to 'em, than those that are younger, that they are more ob∣stinately tied to their Prejudices and long receiv'd Opinions, and consequently that they are more har∣den'd and confirm'd in their Errors and Ill Habits. Though this ought to be observed, that the State of Old Age does not happen precisely at Sixty or Seventy years; that all Old Men do not doat; nor are all those, who are past Sixty, always free from the Pas∣sions of young People, and that we should proceed too far to draw General Consequences from Establish'd Principles.

Notes

• * 1.1

  Of the Ima∣gination of Women.
• * 1.2

  Of the Ima∣gination of Men in the prime of their yea••
• * 1.3

  III. Of Old Men.