The Correspondence of Thomas Jefferson
By Subject
MORAL PRINCIPLES / AND LAW
By your kind quotation of the dates of my two letters, I have been
enabled to turn to, them. They had completely vanished from my memory.
'The last is on the subject of religion, and by its publication will
gratify the priesthood with new occasion of repeating their
communications against me. They wish it to be believed that he can
have no religion who advocates its freedom. The first letter is
political.
One of the questions, you know, on which our parties
took different sides, was on the improvability of the human mind in
science, in ethics, in government, etc. Those who advocated
reformation of institutions,
pari passu with the progress of science, maintained that no
definite limits could be assigned to that progress. The enemies of
reform, on the other hand, denied improvement, and advocated steady
adherence to the principles, practices and institutions of our
fathers, which they represented as the consummation of wisdom, and
acme of excellence, beyond which the human mind could never advance.
Although in the passage of your answer alluded to, you expressly
disclaim the wish to influence the freedom of inquiry, you predict
that that will produce nothing more worthy of transmission to
posterity than the principles, institutions and systems of education
received from their ancestors. I do not consider this as your
deliberate opinion. You possess, yourself, too much science, not to
see how much is still ahead of you, unexplained and unexplored. Your
own consciousness must place you as far before our ancestors as in the
rear of our posterity.
About facts you and I cannot differ; because truth is our mutual
guide. And if any opinions you may express should be different from
mine, I shall receive them with the liberality and indulgence which I
ask for my own, and still cherish with warmth the sentiments of
affectionate respect, of which I can with so much truth tender you the
assurance.
to John Adams, 15 June 1813
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