Mindblown: a blog about philosophy.

The letter killeth ; but the Spirit giveth life.—Paul. Last Sunday the attempt was made to point out some of the results that have come to society from the long and powerful administration of the letter of the Bible. History was asked to come forward with the facts bearing upon the case. A somewhat hasty […]

” I was not disobedient to the heavenly vision. “—PAUL. The men of science tell us that every form of force comes from some force preceding it. It is the same energy under a new name and with a new application. The power in an engine was in steam before it was in the engine, […]

The letter killeth, but the spirit giveth life.—Paul. In this sentence, from the writings of Paul, lies the idea that a strict adherence to the mere form of a thing is fatal to its beauty and its usefulness. Everything should be interpreted by its larger meaning. Its literal significance is narrow, partial, and temporary; its […]

When they heard that Jesus was coming to Jerusalem they took branches of palm trees and went forth to meet him. -New Testament. The fact that we have again reached that portion of time, by many thousands of our fellow mortals called “Holy Week,” is sufficient, of itself, to claim our attention. Whatever else may […]

“What is that thee? Follow thou me. “—New Testament. “Space is ample, east and west, But two cannot go abreast.” —Emerson. These quotations, supplemented by common experience, ask us to reflect upon the fact that, for every human being, a separate path is appointed. If this is one of Nature’s decrees, it follows that each […]

The foolish man built his house upon the sand; and the rain descended and the floods came and the winds blew and beat upon that house; and it fell; and great was the fall of it.—Jesus. All readers of philosophy are familiar with the long debate between Fate and Freedom. It is as old as […]

“Behold God is great, and we know him not; touching the Almighty, we cannot find him out.”—Jon, The death of Herbert Spencer, whose fame as a writer upon science and philosophy and their relation to life and religion is world-wide, is, in itself, sufficient to arrest the attentions of all thoughtful persons. For making his […]

“And the Lord God commanded man, saying, of every tree in the garden thou mayest freely eat; but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil thou shalt not eat.” —Hebrew Writings. The story, of which these words are a fragment, is not peculiar to the Jewish writings. With some variations it appears […]

Whose fan is in his hand and he will thoroughly purge his floor.—New Testament. History is a record of names and dates and events, but it is something more than a mere record. Going deeper than the fact, it seeks for its cause. A true history of the Greek Republics and the Roman Empire gives, […]

“Worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness. “How amiable are thy tabernacles, O Lord of Hosts.” —Hebrew Poetry. One of the marvelous qualities of the world and the life of man is that of the beautiful. Difficult to define in exact terms, it may be partly described as something pertaining to nature and the […]