“and, without it, no individual could engage, with confidence, in any of the common

transactions of life, or make any provision for his protection or comfort, or even for the
continuance of his existence. These are the principles also treated of, in a former work,
under the name of First Truths. They are not, like our knowledge of the other kind, the
result of any process either of investigation or of reasoning, and, for the possession of them,
no man either depends upon his own observation, or has recourse to that of other men.
They are a part of his mental constitution, arising, with a feeling of absolute certainty, in
every sound mind; and, while they admit of no proof by processes of reasoning, sophistical
objections brought against them can be combated only by an appeal to the consciousness of
every man, and to the absolute conviction which forces itself upon the whole mass of
mankind.”

Excerpt From: John Abercrombie. “The Philosophy of the Moral Feelings.” iBooks.
https://books.apple.com/id/book/the-philosophy-of-the-moral-feelings/id511136753