Sunday, May 01, 2011

Sunday Quote: Thomas Jefferson on Design

"I hold (without appeal to revelation) that when we take a view of the Universe, in its parts general or particular, it is impossible for the human mind not to perceive and feel a conviction of design, consummate skill, and indefinite power in every atom of its composition....So irresistible are these evidences of an intelligent and powerful Agent that, of the infinite numbers of men who have existed thro’ all the time, they have believed, in the proportion of a million at least to Unit, in the hypothesis of an eternal pre-existence of a creator, rather than in that of a self-existent Universe."

- Thomas Jefferson
(letter from Jefferson to John Adams on April 11, 1823)
Full quote found in an excerpt entitled "The Pious Infidel."

2 comments :

Ex N1hilo said...

If the universe was created, then our minds and senses were created. So then, how could we know anything apart from revelation from the Creator?

I suppose that when Mr. Jefferson said "revelation" he meant "scripture." He makes a good point about the obviousness of the Creator. But, it seems to me that Deism is not a fully thought-out worldview.

Nick Potts said...

Ex, probably did mean Scripture. lol.

also, i completely agree, it sounds a lot like the Psalms that were written by David, and others. but yea, I believe Jefferson believed that God was still active though, that He was only a partial Deist.

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