A Compendium of Principles in Philosophy and Divinity, Setting Forth the Essential Properties, and Relations of Body and Spirit &C.

A Compendium Of Principles In Philosophy And Divinity, Setting Forth The Essential Properties, And Relations Of Body And Spirit &C by John Vizard. This edition presents a comprehensive interdisciplinary treatise on the nature of body and spirit, drawing from the writings of eminent authors of the two preceding centuries. It opens with a broad introduction to the original design of creation, distinguishing material and immaterial natures and asserting that the material world represents divine perfections while intelligent beings exist as living images of the Creator. The work then surveys essential properties of bodies (extension, impenetrability, inertia), debates whether attraction is inherent, and the origin of powers; it differentiates organized from inorganic matter, and examines the primitive constitution of spirits and the union between soul and body. It proceeds to explore the reflex acts of the soul, abstraction and language, the certainty of knowledge gained through the senses, and the liberty of spirits. A central thread is the immortality of the soul, supported by arguments from abstract notions, memory, and divine justice, and culminates in reflections on the knowledge of God by contemplating one’s own soul and the divine perfections.