HOW ‘BOUT HOLBACH?
1968
"In whatever manner man is considered, he is connected to universal nature, and submitted to the necessary and immutable laws that she imposes on all the beings she contains, according to their peculiar essences or to the respective properties with which, without consulting them, she endows each particular species.” -- Holbach.?
If we objectively examine the events of life, our own and others, we could begin to see at least some justification for Holbach’s statement. What can we find that is not determined by something outside ourselves and what does not revert to the nature of our species? We behave in some manner or other because of the reaction to such behavior in our childhood. We did it then and received a reaction. Either the reaction was negative, and we ceased doing whatever it was we had done, or the reaction was positive, and we continued doing it. Perhaps a simple way of knowing that the statement is true is by taking notice of how we live our lives. We would find we do not really decide on a course of action, but actually react to action brought against us. We work because we must eat. We must eat so we do not die. If we do try to decide on our way of life, we suffer from conflict and neurosis, and then we either return to what is expected of us or we become slaves to our neurosis. Or consider this examination or that in college. Why do we take them? Why not just say: Oh, I don’t feel like doing it, I’m tired, I’m busy, I’ve a cold, or some such thing? We take the tests because they are necessary to pass the courses. And we take the courses because they are necessary to meet the requirements of our degree. And we seek the degree because it is necessary to gain certain employment. And we seek employment because we must earn money to live. And we seek certain employment because of some factor in our background. In other words, we react to nature and events and that determines our life.
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