Transcript
The Priory,
21, North Bank,
Regents Park.
Friday
My dear Helps
In my hurry yesterday I forgot to add a note about Descartes confirming your impression that he did not maintain animals to have no feeling. With regard to your difficulty in finding any passage in which his opinion was distinctly expressed the only one I know is that in his letter (Cluner vol 7 p 393) in which however you may observe that he qualifies the denial of feeling by saying come en vous & aucun vrai sentiment. Now if you compare this with the passage vol X p 208 you will see that he speaks of thought (non de la vie ou de sentiment. He adds je ne leur refuse pas meme la sentiment autant qu'il depend des organes du corpe. Ainsi mon opinion d'estpre si cruelle aux animaux.
Ever your faithfully
G.H. Lewes
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