We live in an age dominated by abstract thought; we speak and think in the conceptional language of science. I believe that in a culture, as in an individual, there is on the whole an antagonism between abstract thought and those attitudes to life which are embodied in other kinds of symbolism. ... The schism in culture can be healed only in the minds of the individuals who belong to it, and the rejection of science is no solution. But as soon as we realize that science is only a language, and that many aspects of the 'invisible frabrick' of life can be better understood in other languages, and even in symbols other than words, we have opened a door to a great liberation of the spirit. ... For man, while looking on the world with the 'cold eye' of scientific vision, still needs to be sustained and carried forward by the vital force of older modes of knowledge.'Horseman, pass by!'
W. Russell Brain, Mind Perception and Science
Mr. Wilson,
ReplyDeleteI plan to enclose this quotation in a letter to a friend. Could you please clarify for me the relation of the "Horseman, pass by!" phrase to the rest of the quotation. I wonder if the space in your post, between the two, indicates that originally the one did not directly follow the other.
I continue to enjoy the site immensely.
Appreciatively in Canada
Dear Anonymous,
ReplyDeleteThe passage is taken from the book's concluding chapter, which takes the form of dialogue between reader and author. In the concluding exchange, the Reader notes that "Philosophers,nowadays at any rate, seem to pursue philosophy for its own sake and to take little interest in its implications and applications. In Yeats's words they 'cast a cold eye on life, on death.'
What I quoted is taken from the Author's reply. The pertinent part I left out follows a grief discussion of Suzanne K. Langer's Philosophy in a New Key:
"You quoted two of the three lines Yeats for his own tombstone. But listen to the three together:
"Cast a cold yet
On life, on death.
Horseman, pass by!'
Do they not well express the conflict in the modern mind, and its reconciliation, which Yeats failed to achieve in himself."
Then follows the final part of what I quoted, beginning "For man ..."
I hope this helps. If not, drop me an email and I'll scan the whole passage in for you.
Indeed it was helpful. Thank-you very much for the explanation.
ReplyDeleteJonathan Featherstone
God, my typing isn't getting any better as I age. It's a brief discussion of Langer's book. And wrote is left out after "three lines Yeats."
ReplyDelete