"Probably only fools to be bound deny that the stomach was created to eat, the eye to see, the ear to hear. (...) Yes, they say, but if God visibly created something on purpose, then he had to do everything on purpose. It would be ridiculous to accept Providence in a given case and deny it in other cases. Everything that was created was foreseen and arranged by God. There is no arrangement without purpose; there is no effect without a cause; so everything is equally the result of a final cause.
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Author
VoltaireAll Translations
All Translations
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Probably only fools to be bound deny that the stomach was created to eat, the eye to see, the ear to hear. (...) Yes, they say, but if God visibly created something on purpose, then he had to do everything on purpose. It would be ridiculous to accept Providence in a given case and deny it in other cases. Everything that was created was foreseen and arranged by God. There is no arrangement without purpose; there is no effect without a cause; so everything is equally the result of a final cause.
""Alighanem csak a kötözni való bolondok tagadják, hogy a gyomor azért teremtetett, hogy emésszen, a szem, hogy lásson, a fül, hogy halljon. (...) Igen, mondják, de ha Isten egyvalamit szemmel láthatóan szándékosan teremtett, akkor mindent szándékosan kellett tennie. Nevetséges volna egy adott esetben elfogadni a Gondviselést, a többi esetben pedig tagadni. Mindazt, ami létrejött, Isten előre látta és elrendezte. Nincsen elrendezés cél nélkül; nincs okozat ok nélkül; tehát minden egyformán egy végső ok eredménye."