The Foundations Of Individual Character, A Lecture - Softcover

William M'combie

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0461314487 ISBN 13: 9780461314489

Publisher: HardPress, 2021

Synopsis

The Foundations Of Individual Character, A Lecture by William M'combie. This mid-19th-century lecture argues that true character rests on self-control governed by conscience, rather than impulse or mere convention. Delivered in the Gardners’ Hall, Rhynie, and at the Infant Schoolroom, Lumsden, in May 1850, the discourse presents life as a problem of regulating the will through a sense of duty to a higher authority. Using vivid images, the speaker compares human growth to an acorn that becomes an oak, emphasizing that intellectual and moral development requires disciplined attention, memory, reasoning, and the power of abstraction. He distinguishes mere animal instinct and physical life from higher moral life, insisting that conscience and belief in a moral Governor ground right action. Conscience, he argues, is not derived from sensation alone but from knowledge and acceptance of a superior standard; true faith rests on probable reasons, not credulity. A resolute will, cultivated habit, and disciplined action turn belief into consistent conduct, forming character fit for duty, sacrifice, and genuine freedom. The author also critiques indulgence, underscores habit formation in education, and links personal virtue to social welfare, including pauperism.

Edition details

• Publisher: HardPress
• Publication date: 2021
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0461314487
• ISBN 13: 9780461314489
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 44