Publisher's Synopsis
This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can usually download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated. 1864 edition. Excerpt: ... CHAPTER IX. CHOICE BETWEEN EQUAL ALTERNATIVES. Alternatives may be before the mind so equally eligible that, so far aa consciousness may be judge, the Will decides without motive upon its object. In anticipation, however, necessitarians meet these inThne ncera- stances by affirming, first, that thev cannot be xltarlun an- .,, * ... ticiimtioiu. genuine cases because there can be no volition without motive; second, volitions without motive can possess no moral character; and third, the cases are of 8o trifling a character as to be inconsequential in the argument. The First of these affirmations, though the most influential upon the minds of men, of course takes the conclusion for granted, and proves itself by itself. The whole of this treatise is our entire reply. Second, that motiveless actions can have no moral character has been too lightly conceded by the advocates of free will. For a person guilty of repeated profanity, or theft, or murder, it would be no defense that the crime was without motive. Indeed, motiveless crimes and sins may be many times altogether aggravated by the very fact that they are motiveless. If the slightest act of sin is an infinite sin, as Edwards holds, then an infinite sin may be committed supposably without a motive. Third, the minuteness of the action by no means diminishes the importance as a test experiment. The experiment decides, so far forth as the decision of consciousness is clear, that volitional cause is different from any cause in material dynamics. Natural philosophy knows no cause which can act either way in face of an equilibrium. The minutest successful experiment proves the whole doctrine of volitional freedom. The ability of the Will to choose in equilibrial alternatives establishes the...
