Locke’s Opinion Concerning Darkness ConsideredIT is Mr. Locke’s opinion, that darkness is not naturally
an idea of terror; and that, though an excessive light is painful to
the
sense, the greatest excess of darkness is no ways troublesome. He observes
indeed in another place, that a nurse or an old woman having once associated
the idea of ghosts and goblins with that of darkness, night, ever after,
becomes painful and horrible to the imagination. The authority of this
great man is doubtless as great as that of any man can be, and it seems
to stand in the way of our general principle. [1] We have considered
darkness as a cause of the sublime; and we have all along considered
the sublime
as depending on some modification of pain or terror: so that if darkness
be no way painful or terrible to any, who have not had their minds
early tainted with superstitions, it can be no source of the sublime
to them.
But, with all deference to such an authority, it seems to me, that
an association of a more general nature, an association which takes
in all
mankind, and make darkness terrible; for in utter darkness it is impossible
to know in what degree of safety we stand; we are ignorant of the objects
that surround us; we may every moment strike against some dangerous
obstruction; we may fall down a precipice the first step we take; and
if an enemy
approach, we know not in what quarter to defend ourselves; in such
a case strength is no sure protection; wisdom can only act by guess;
the
boldest are staggered, and he, who would pray for nothing else towards
his defence, is forced to pray for light. As to the association of ghosts and goblins; surely it is more natural to think, that darkness, being originally an idea of terror, was chosen as a fit scene for such terrible representations, than that such representations have made darkness terrible. The mind of man very easily slides into an error of the former sort; but it is very hard to imagine, that the effect of an idea so universally terrible in all times, and in all countries, as darkness, could possibly have been owing to a set of idle stories, or to any cause of a nature so trivial, and of an operation so precarious. Note 1. Part II. sect. 3 |
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