From the book
Centuries of Meditations
Thomas Traherne · Diotimos Editions · 2026
Browse this book’s lexicon →Orientation
At a Glance
- The wordNakedness is the absence of clothing.
- In TraherneThe paradox of IV.36 declares the naked human richest when the world and the powers of enjoyment are rightly possessed.
- In this editionThe paradox concerns the riches present before additions.
- A place to beginAdam’s nakedness challenges an account of wealth based entirely on socially bestowed goods.
Meaning
Nakedness is the absence of clothing. Traherne uses Adam’s naked condition to separate original human wealth from goods conferred by other people.
Use in the book
The paradox of IV.36 declares the naked human richest when the world and the powers of enjoyment are rightly possessed. Remove what other people can give and Adam’s inheritance remains: dependence on social gifts does not define the whole of riches. Poverty in knowledge, rather than Adam’s lack of apparel, prevents this wealth from being seen.
The claim is an exercise in revaluing foundational gifts. It does not establish that clothing, shelter, or relief of bodily need is dispensable in every fallen circumstance. Its immediate setting is a principle of security grounded in paradise and divine love.
Places to read
- IV.36Adam’s nakedness challenges an account of wealth based entirely on socially bestowed goods.
In this edition
The paradox concerns the riches present before additions. It should not be converted into practical indifference toward material deprivation or exposure.
Source note
Primary text: IV.36.