Mercado 1 Mauricio Mercado Ms.

Woods Theory of Knowledge

14 April 2011

William Blake Essay Analysis

William Blakes work is situated in an era which heavily impact the motivation underlying his works, such as All Religions Are One, and There Is No Natural Religion a & b. Blake wrote near the end of the eighteenth century, when the Age of Enlightenment was fading into the Romantic Era in England. This time was characterized by a revolution in which radical thought was exalted and the church was disdained. Blake makes the statement that All Religions Are One. He introduces his idea that all religions come from the same source. Moreover, he introduces the Poetic Genius, from whom all religions come from. Furthermore William Blake through All Religions Are One, and There Is No Natural Religion a & b hints towards a claim that Religion is a Formal System.

In his poem All Religions Are One Blake starts of by stating The voice of one crying in the wilderness. This verse is found in the gospel, referring to John the Baptist, who calls for the prophet Isaiah in his promises for prophecy, in bewilderment. Likewise, Blake echoes John as he believes he bears the truth in a world of skeptics, the Enlightenment thinkers. In Principle 1st William introduces the Poetic Genius. That the Poetic Genius is the true Man. He capitalizes Man here, in difference to Principle 2nd when he mentions As all men in miniscule letters. This goes to show that the Poetic Genius is a Man who stands above all other men; this would be

Mercado 2 Jesus, who is God himself. As Principle 1st continues the author mentions Likewise that the forms of all things are derived from their Genius. Which by the Ancients was calld an Angel & Spirit & Demon. Through this Blake conveys that many religious believes, such as angels, are derived from God. They are supernatural beings, whom can only be brought about or created by the existence of a God, a poetic Genius. The sense cannot perceive this supernatural beings, as stated in his There Is No Natural Religion a, Mans desires are limited by his perception; none can desire what he has not perceivd. In Principle 2nd Blake acknowledges the existence of a God who created humans to his resemblance, a Christian God. All humans are alike to their Poetic Genius. As the poem continues, in principle 3rd Blake comments No man can think write or speak from his heart, but he must intend truth. Thus all sects of philosophy are from the Poetic Genius adapted to the weaknesses of every individual. This principle resembles a statement in the Bible, which says the aim of man is to love others as Jesus loves, and that Jesus is the way through life. Both Blake and the Bible convey that man should speak through the truth, Jesus. In this Principle Blake also comments that every religion and philosophy originated in Gods revelation. Yet, Gods revelation is filtered through human consciousness; therefore all sects of philosophy adopt a human characteristic which has been imposed with godly essence. Blake continues to exemplify his claim of the Poetic Genius with Principle 4 he comments As none by traveling over known lands can find out the unknown. So from already acquire knowledge Man could not acquire more. Therefore an universal Poetic Genius exists. With this the author is portraying that man cannot synthesize new knowledge by himself and therefore the Poetic Genius nourishes mans curiosity as it is God is universal., as in the bible it mentions Gods understanding is infinite. Thus everything humans know derives from God. In Principle 5 Blake makes it clear how all religions derive from one, it is just a different interpretation given to

Mercado 3 God in different Nations that makes new religions. As the poem continues in Principle 6 Blake makes his preference for the Christian testament clear, as he cites it as an original derivation from the Poetic Genius. In the last and 7th Principle William Blake makes it clear that all religions have one source. He mentions As all men are alike (tho infinitely various) So all Religions and as similar have one source The true Man is the source he being the Poetic Genius Through this principle Blake conveys that men came from the same source, God, yet men are different from others. In the same way religion came from the same source, God, yet it varies in certain cultures due to the perception cultures place on God.

This all has to do with reason, as everyone will reason what is better for them for example deists or antinomian views, such as the one Blake has. These types of reasoning are based on perception; it is evident how perception can place a limitation to knowledge, in the aspect of religion. The 7 principles in All Religions Are One exemplify the claim that Religion is a formal system. The Poetic Genius, God, is the axiom. God is the starting point to everything. The ways humans choose to interpret the Poetic Genius, are rules of inference, which create theorems. These theorems are religions. When rules of inference are applied to theorem more theorems are the outcome. This is what happens in religion, as one church brakes off of the other. Blake may be also trying to convey that religion is a real system, as it is created by interpretation, by perception; in essence it is created by the mind.

William Blake continues to comment on his belief of God as the poetic Genius, and source for everything in his work There Is No Natural Religion (A & B). In these two poems Blake contradicts himself. In poem a Blake discusses the empiricist belief on life. He mentions Naturally he is only a natural organ subject to Sense. Through this statement Blake shows the

Mercado 4 belief that man can only learn through sense perception, the idea of empiricism. Through the poem William Blake touches on the points man can only reason, compare, and judge that which is perceived. Also the author mentions how anything that a man desires is particularly based on his perception, he cannot desire anything, or experience anything he hasnt perceived. Man is limited to objects of sense. Through There Is No Natural Religion A, Blake shows the perspective a Deist has, as in that era, the Enlightenment thinkers William Blake was speaking against were of Deist beliefs. They could not see, or believed in an active God because they were empiricist, meaning since they couldnt see Gods divinity and his supernatural they could not believe in him. By writing There Is No Natural Religion A Blake is not only presenting the view of Deist, he is also portraying how fallible and flawed that empiricist view can be. If one only learns through the senses, there will be a really limited implication placed on knowledge, and not a lot of theories would be accepted as theories and ideas arent felt with the senses.

To overcome this limitation placed on knowledge Blake introduces that one has to believe in God to reach greater depths of knowledge. This is what he tries to convey with There Is No Natural Religion b. Mans Perceptions are not bound by organs of perception;, he mentions. The desire of Man being Infinite the possession is Infinite & himself infinite. Application. He who sees the Infinite in all things sees God. Blake continues. Through this comment Blake conveys that to acquire more knowledge, by believing in theorys and ideas, a belief in God, in the supernatural, and in the divine is needed, as empiricism would limit you from that. If individuals see an infinite, they see God.

Blake concludes that there is no natural religion as a belief in divine revelation is needed to acquire all knowledge. The Poetic Genius, God, is the source to all religions, and to many

Mercado 5 aspects of knowledge. God has created everything, he is the axiom. It is up to the rules of inference, the humans and interpretation of God, how God will be perceived. Gods revelations were filtered by humans, creating theorems, religions. Therefore God becomes as we are, that we may be as he is. Meaning God, became like humans, through Jesus, so that humans could be like him, have an aspect of his teaching in life. In essence Religion is a formal system.

Word Count: 1400