All parts of nature, no matter that some might seem to us to be absurd, are of the "general frame"; all of nature, including ourselves, as Pope observed, are but "parts of one stupendous whole." This whole body of nature is throughout all of life and extends itself throughout all of the universe and "operates unspent." Man is not of divine origins, nor is he headed that way; he is not perfect, nor is he perfectible. He is what he is; by nature formed. This is one conclusion, which, after considerable study, seems sensible enough to me. Each of us, however, will have to come to our own conclusion as to the nature of man; but conclude we must; for, without first determining the nature of man, it is not possible to proceed to questions of a political and economic nature, such as, "What is the best social arrangement under which people might work and live?"
We can let our hopes and imaginations run free, as have done a myriad of
speculators down through the ages, but much misery will come about if we try to fit people into a scheme which takes into account the way we would like humans to be, rather than the way, by nature, they are.
