It were a foolish and dangerous expedient, and one to which no enlightened advocate of Immaterialism will have recourse, to denounce the professed discoveries either of Phrenology or of Mesmerism, on the ground of their supposed tendency to obliterate the distinction between Mind and Matter.
"Modern Atheism under its forms of Pantheism, Materialism, Secularism, Development, and Natural Laws"
James Buchanan
To this extent we think that the argument is alike legitimate and valid; but when it goes beyond this, and attempts either to divest matter of all active properties, or to demonstrate that, in the very nature of things, sensation and thought could not possibly be annexed to a material substance, we think that it advances beyond the real exigencies of the case, and that it undertakes a task which is somewhat too arduous for our present powers,-a task which many of the ablest advocates of Immaterialism would humbly, but firmly, decline.
"Modern Atheism under its forms of Pantheism, Materialism, Secularism, Development, and Natural Laws"
James Buchanan
Malebranche admits the possible validity of this inference to Immaterialism from his principles, and grounds his own belief in the existence of an external material universe solely on faith in Divine Revelation.
"Ontology or the Theory of Being"
Peter Coffey