a cosmic spirit??
1) Ariel is probably right in smiling at me as still a Catholic below the neck.

Does "below the neck" mean "in the heart"? Thanks.

2) I see many evidences of design in nature and myself, many indications of a cosmic spirit experimenting to find adjustments of means and organs to ends and desires; but I see also many instances of organs imperfectly adapted to functions and purposes (like the eye as Helmholtz criticized it), and of events that suggest, from a human point of view, a cruel instead of a kindly cosmic power, as in that Lisbon earthquake (1755) which slaughtered thousands of pious souls worshipping their God in church.

I would like to know what does "a cosmic spirit" mean?

Question

a cosmic spirit??
1) Ariel is probably right in smiling at me as still a Catholic below the neck.

Does "below the neck" mean "in the heart"? Thanks.

2) I see many evidences of design in nature and myself, many indications of a cosmic spirit experimenting to find adjustments of means and organs to ends and desires; but I see also many instances of organs imperfectly adapted to functions and purposes (like the eye as Helmholtz criticized it), and of events that suggest, from a human point of view, a cruel instead of a kindly cosmic power, as in that Lisbon earthquake (1755) which slaughtered thousands of pious souls worshipping their God in church.

I would like to know what does "a cosmic spirit" mean?

Answer

1) "Catholic below the neck" is a sexual term.  It means that the person has only ever kissed someone, and not done anything physically intimate that would require touching below the neck.  The background comes from the religious code of Catholicism requiring that no sexual activity take place before marriage.

This is not a sensual term: it is certainly vulgar.  I would not recommend using it.

2) In this case, "cosmic spirit" is a generic term referring to the divine/a higher power.

Answer

Glad that Tom explained  Catholic below the neck,  as I was not familiar with this phrase.

Cosmos /  Kosmos from the ancient Greek   order, the world,  universe

Related concepts:  Chaos /  Greek Kaos   formlessness,
 confusion, unreality, emptiness

and    "Chaos (Greek χάος, khaos) refers to the formless or void state preceding the creation of the universe or cosmos in the Greek creation myths, or to the initial "gap" created by the original separation of heaven and earth."------G.S. Kirk, J.E. Raven and M. Schofield (2003). The Presocratic philosophers. Cambridge University Press. p. 44. ISBN 0-521-27455-9.

Answers · 4

Still haven’t found your answers?

Don’t miss out on the opportunity to learn a language from the comfort of your own home. Browse our selection of experienced language tutors and enroll in your first lesson now!