Evidence: | 'There is a very extraordinary passage in Rousseau's Thoughts on Fanaticism. It is printed in his Thoughts, published by Debrett, Vol.i. page 11.
Bayle (says he) has acutely proved that Fanaticism is more pernicious than Atheism. This is incontestable. What he has been very careful, however, not to mention, and, what is not less true is, that Fanaticism, although sanguinary and cruel, is still an exalted passion, which elevates the heart of man, raises him above the fear of death, multiplies his resources exceedingly, and which only wants to be better directed, to be productive of the most sublime virtues. (He adds) The argumentative spirit of controversy and philosophy, on the contrary, attaches us to life, enervates and debases the soul, concentrates all passions in the baseness of self-interest, and thus gradually saps the real foundation of all society.' |
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Century: | 1700-1799 | ||||||||||
Date: | unknown | ||||||||||
Country: | England | ||||||||||
Time: | n/a | ||||||||||
Place: | n/a | ||||||||||
Type of Experience (Reader): |
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Type of Experience (Listener): |
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Reader: | James Lackington |
Age | Adult (18-100+) |
Gender | Male |
Date of Birth | 31 Aug 1746 |
Socio-economic group: | Clerk / tradesman / artisan / smallholder Bookseller rising socially |
Occupation: | Bookseller |
Religion: | lapsed Methodist |
Country of origin: | England |
Country of experience: | England |
Listeners present if any: (e.g. family, servants,
friends, workmates) |
n/a |
Additional comments: | n/a |
Author: | Jean-Jacques Rousseau |
Title: | Thoughts of Jean Jacques Rousseau, Citizen of Geneva, selected from his writings by an Anonymous Editor |
Genre: | Philosophy |
Form of Text: | Print: Book |
Publication details: | 'Debrett, Vol i. page 11' - possibly 2 vol edition translated by Miss Henrietta Colebrooke, printed in London by Debret and Baldwin (1788?) |
Provenance: | unknown |
Record ID: | 12943 | |
Source - | ||
Author: | James Lackington | |
Editor: | n/a | |
Title: | Memoirs of the Forty Five First Years of The Life James Lackington | |
Place of Publication: | London, Temple of the Muses | |
Date of Publication: | 1794 | |
Vol: | n/a | |
Page: | 280 | |
Additional comments: | n/a |
Citation: | James Lackington, Memoirs of the Forty Five First Years of The Life James Lackington (London, Temple of the Muses, 1794), p. 280, http://can-red-lec.library.dal.ca/Arts/reading/recorddetails2.php?id=12943, accessed: 19 April 2024 |
Reading Experience Database version 2.0. Page updated: 27th Apr 2016 3:15pm (GMT)