ABSTRACT
‘Man is mundi utrius que nexus, the bond of both worlds, as Scaliger calls him, in whom the world of bodies, and the world of spirits do meet, and unite; for in respect to his body, he is related to this visible world, and is of the earth; but in respect of his soul, he is allied to heaven, and descended from above.’ 1 The claims of these two worlds are imperious, and difficult to reconcile. On the one side are ranged reason, intellect, the soul; on the other, instinct, passion, and the senses. Man’s position, on this ‘isthmus of a middle state’, presents a formidable challenge to his powers, a challenge which needs to be recognized and met. In practice, however, instead of being self-aware and decisive man is too often simply alarmed by his precariousness or paralysed by bewilderment: In doubt to deem himself a God, or Beast; In doubt his Mind or Body to prefer. (Essay on Man II 8–9)
