39. Genera and species are in order to naming. Instance, watch. 40. Species of artificial things less confused than natural. 41. Artificial things of distinct species. 42. Substances alone have proper names. 43. Difficulty to treat of words with words. 44, 45. Instance of mixed modes in kineah and niouph. 46, 47. Instance of substances in zahab. 48. Their ideas imperfect, and therefore various. 49. Therefore to fix their species a real essence is supposed. SECT. 1. Particles connect parts, or whole sentences together. 2. In them consists the art of well speaking. 3, 4. They show what relation the mind gives to its own thoughts. 6. This matter but lightly touched here. OF ABSTRACT AND CONCRETE TERMS. SECT. 1. Abstract terms not predicable one of another, and why. CHAPTER IX. OF THE IMPERFECTION OF WORDS. SECT. 1. Words are used for recording and communicating our thoughts. 2. Any words will serve for recording. 3. Communication by words, civil or philosophical. 4. The imperfection of words, is the doubtfulness of their signification. 5. Causes of their imperfection. they stand for are so complex. 7. Secondly, because they have no standards. 8. Propriety not a sufficient remedy. 9. The way of learning these names contributes also to their doubtfulness. 10. Hence unavoidable obscurity in ancient authors. 11. Names of substances of doubtful signification. cannot be known. imperfectly. well for philosophical use. mixed modes and substances. of old authors. 2, 3. First words without any, or without clear ideas. 4. Occasioned by learning names, before the ideas they 5. Secondly, a steady application of them. 6. Thirdly, affected obscurity, by wrong application. 7. Logic and dispute have much contributed to this. 9. This learning very little benefits society. 10. But destroys the instruments of knowledge and com- 11. As useful as to confound the sound of the letters. 12. This art has perplexed religion and justice. 13. And ought not to pass for learning. 14. Fourthly, taking them for things. 16. This makes errors lasting. 17. Fifthly, setting them for what they cannot signify. 18. V. g. putting them for the real essences of substances. 19. Hence we think every change of our idea in substances, 20. The cause of this abuse, a supposition of nature's working 21. This abuse contains two false suppositions. 22. Sixthly, a supposition that words have a certain and evi- 24. Secondly, to do it with quickness. 25. Thirdly, therewith to convey the knowledge of things. 32. How in substances. OF THE REMEDIES OF THE FOREGOING IMPERFECTIONS AND 3. But yet necessary to philosophy. 4. Misuse of words, the cause of great errors. 8. First remedy, to use no word without an idea. 9. Secondly, to have distinct ideas annexed to them in modes. 10. And distinct and conformable in substances. 12. Fourthly, to make known their meaning. 14. First, in simple ideas by synonymous terms, or showing. 15. Secondly, in mixed modes by definition. 16. Morality capable of demonstration. 17. Definitions can make moral discourses clear. 19. Thirdly, in substances, by showing and defining. 20, 21. Ideas of the leading qualities of substances are best got by 22. The ideas of their powers, best by definition. 23. A reflection on the knowledge of spirits. 24. Ideas also of substances must be conformable to things. BOOK IV. OF KNOWLEDGE IN GENERAL. 1. Our knowledge conversant about our ideas. 2. Knowledge is the perception of the agreement or disagree- 4. First, of identity, or diversity. 7. Fourthly, of real existence. OF THE DEGREES OF OUR KNOWLEDGE. 5. Not without precedent doubt. 7. Each step must have intuitive evidence. 9. Demonstration not limited to quantity. 14. Sensitive knowledge of particular existence. OF THE EXTENT OF HUMAN KNOWLEDGE. 1. First, no farther than we have ideas. 2. Secondly, no farther than we can perceive their agreement 3. Thirdly, intuitive knowledge extends itself not to all the relations of all our ideas. 5. Fifthly, sensitive knowledge narrower than either. 6. Sixthly, our knowledge, therefore, narrower than our ideas. 7. How far our knowledge reaches. 8. First, our knowledge of identity and diversity, as far as our 9. Secondly, of co-existence, a very little way. 10. Because the connexion between most simple ideas is un- 11. Especially of secondary qualities. 12–14. And farther, because all connexion between any secondary and primary qualities is undiscoverable. 15. Of repugnancy to co-exist, larger. 16. Of the co-existence of powers, a very 18. Thirdly, of other relations, it is not easy to say how far. demonstration. Their complexedness, and want of sen- sible representations. 20. Remedies of those difficulties. 21. Fourthly, of real existence; we have an intuitive know- ledge of our own, demonstrative of God's, sensitive of some few other things. 22. Our ignorance great. 23. First, one cause of it, want of ideas, either such as we have no conception of, or such as particularly we have not. 24. Because of their remoteness, or, 25. Because of their minuteness. 26. Hence no science of bodies. 27. Much less of spirits. 28. Secondly, want of a discoverable connexion between ideas we have. 29. Instances. 30. Thirdly, want of tracing our ideas. 31. Extent in respect of universality. CHAPTER IV. OF THE REALITY OF OUR KNOWLEDGE. SECT. 1. Objection, knowledge placed in ideas, may be all bare vision. 2, 3. Answer, not so, where ideas agree with things. 4. As, first, all simple ideas do. 5. Secondly, all complex ideas, except of substances. 6. Hence the reality of mathematical knowledge. 7. And of moral, 8. Existence not required to make it real. |