Find Enlightenment
Summary Contents
Preface and Introduction
BOOK I: Neither Principles nor Ideas Are Innate
Chapter I: No Innate Speculative Principles
- 1. The way shown how we come by any knowledge, sufficient to prove...
- 2. General assent the great argument.
- 3. Universal consent proves nothing innate.
- 4. "What is, is," and "It is impossible for the same thing to be and...
- 5. Not on the mind naturally imprinted, because not known to...
- 6. That men know them when they come to the use of reason, answered.
- 7. Doubtful expressions, that have scarce any signification, go...
- 8. If reason discovered them, that would not prove them innate.
- 9. It is false that reason discovers them.
- 10. No use made of reasoning in the discovery of these two maxims.
- 11. And if there were, this would prove them not innate.
- 12. The coming to the use of reason not the time we come to know...
- 13. By this they are not distinguished from other knowable truths.
- 14. If coming to the use of reason were the time of their...
- 15. The steps by which the mind attains several truths.
- 16. Assent to supposed innate truths depends on having clear and...
- 17. Assenting as soon as proposed and understood, proves them not...
- 18. If such an assent be a mark of innate, then "that one and two...
- 19. Such less general propositions known before these universal...
- 20. "One and one equal to Two, &c.
- 21. These maxims not being known sometimes till proposed, proves...
- 22. Implicitly known before proposing, signifies that the mind is...
- 23. The argument of assenting on first hearing, is upon a false...
- 24. Not innate, because not universally assented to.
- 25. These maxims not the first known.
- 26. And so not innate.
- 27. Not innate, because they appear least where what is innate shows...
- 28. Recapitulation.
Chapter II: No Innate Practical Principles
- 1. No moral principles so clear and so generally received as the...
- 2. Faith and justice not owned as principles by all men.
- 3. Objection: "though men deny them in their practice, yet they...
- 4. Moral rules need a proof, ergo not innate.
- 5. Instance in keeping compacts.
- 6. Virtue generally approved, not because innate, but because...
- 7. Men's actions convince us that the rule of virtue is not their...
- 8. Conscience no proof of any innate moral rule.
- 9. Instances of enormities practised without remorse.
- 10. Men have contrary practical principles.
- 11. Whole nations reject several moral rules.
- 12. The generally allowed breach of a rule, proof that it is not...
- 13. If men can be ignorant of what is innate, certainty is not...
- 14. Those who maintain innate practical principles tell us not...
- 15. Lord Herbert's innate principles examined.
- 16. These five either not all, or more than all, if there are any.
- 17. The supposed marks wanting.
- 18. Of little use if they were innate.
- 19. Scarce possible that God should engrave principles in words of...
- 20. Objection, "innate principles may be corrupted," answered.
- 21. Contrary principles in the world.
- 22. How men commonly come by their principles.
- 23. Principles supposed innate because we do not remember when we...
- 24. How such principles come to be held.
- 25. Further explained.
- 26. A worship of idols.
- 27. Principles must be examined.
Chapter III: Other considerations concerning Innate Principles,
- 1. Principles not innate, unless their ideas be innate.
- 2. Ideas, especially those belonging to principles, not born with...
- 3. "Impossibility" and "identity" not innate ideas.
- 4. "Identity," an idea not innate.
- 5. What makes the same man? Nor let any one think that the questions...
- 6. Whole and part, not innate ideas.
- 7. Idea of worship not innate.
- 8. Idea of God not innate.
- 9. The name of God not universal or obscure in meaning.
- 10. Ideas of God and idea of fire.
- 11. Idea of God not innate.
- 12. Suitable to God's goodness, that all men should have an idea...
- 13. Ideas of God various in different men.
- 14. Contrary and inconsistent ideas of God under the same name.
- 15. Gross ideas of God.
- 16. Idea of God not innate although wise men of all nations come...
- 17. Odd, low, and pitiful ideas of God common among men.
- 18. If the idea of God be not innate, no other can be supposed...
- 19. Idea of substance not innate.
- 20. No propositions can be innate, since no ideas are innate.
- 21. No innate ideas in the memory.
- 22. Principles not innate, because of little use or little...
- 23. Difference of men's discoveries depends upon the different...
- 24. Men must think and know for themselves.
- 25. Whence the opinion of innate principles.
- 26. Conclusion.
BOOK II: Of Ideas
Chapter I: Of Ideas in general, and their Original
- 1. Idea is the object of thinking.
- 2. All ideas come from sensation or reflection.
- 3. The objects of sensation one source of ideas.
- 4. The operations of our minds, the other source of them.
- 5. All our ideas are of the one or the other of these.
- 6. Observable in children.
- 7. Men are differently furnished with these, according to the...
- 8. Ideas of reflection later, because they need attention.
- 9. The soul begins to have ideas when it begins to perceive.
- 10. The soul thinks not always; for this wants proofs.
- 11. It is not always conscious of it.
- 12. If a sleeping man thinks without knowing it, the sleeping and...
- 13. Impossible to convince those that sleep without dreaming, that...
- 14. That men dream without remembering it, in vain urged.
- 15. Upon this hypothesis, the thoughts of a sleeping man ought to be...
- 16. On this hypothesis, the soul must have ideas not derived from...
- 17. If I think when I know it not, nobody else can know it.
- 18. How knows any one that the soul always thinks? For if it be...
- 19. "That a man should be busy in thinking, and yet not retain it...
- 20. No ideas but from sensation and reflection, evident, if we...
- 21. State of a child in the mother's womb.
- 22. The mind thinks in proportion to the matter it gets from...
- 23. A man begins to have ideas when he first has sensation.
- 24. The original of all our knowledge.
- 25. In the reception of simple ideas, the understanding is for the...
Chapter II: Of Simple Ideas
Chapter III: Of Simple Ideas of Sense
Chapter IV: Idea of Solidity
Chapter V: Of Simple Ideas of Divers Senses
Chapter VI: Of Simple Ideas of Reflection
Chapter VII: Of Simple Ideas of both Sensation and Reflection
Chapter VIII: Some further considerations concerning
Chapter IX: Of Perception
Chapter X: Of Retention
Chapter XI: Of Discerning, and other operations of the Mind
Chapter XII: Of Complex Ideas
Chapter XIII: Complex Ideas of Simple Modes:-
Chapter XIV: Idea of Duration and its Simple Modes
Chapter XV: Ideas of Duration and Expansion, considered together
Chapter XVI: Idea of Number
Chapter XVII: Of Infinity
- 1. Infinity, in its original intention, attributed to space,...
- 2. The idea of finite easily got.
- 3. How we come by the idea of infinity.
- 4. Our idea of space boundless.
- 5. And so of duration.
- 6. Why other ideas are not capable of infinity.
- 7. Difference between infinity of space, and space infinite.
- 8. We have no idea of infinite space.
- 9. Number affords us the clearest idea of infinity.
- 10. Our different conceptions of the infinity of number contrasted...
- 11. How we conceive the infinity of space.
- 12. Infinite divisibility.
- 13. No positive idea of infinity.
- 14. How we cannot have a positive idea of infinity in quantity.
- 15. What is positive, what negative, in our idea of infinite.
- 16. We have no positive idea of an infinite duration.
- 17. No complete idea of eternal being.
- 18. No positive idea of infinite space.
- 19. What is positive, what negative, in our idea of infinite.
- 20. Some think they have a positive idea of eternity, and not of...
- 21. Supposed positive ideas of infinity, cause of mistakes.
- 22. All these are modes of ideas got from sensation and...
Chapter XVIII: Other Simple Modes
Chapter XIX: Of the Modes of Thinking
Chapter XX: Of Modes of Pleasure and Pain
- 1. Pleasure and pain, simple ideas.
- 2. Good and evil, what.
- 3. Our passions moved by good and evil.
- 4. Love.
- 5. Hatred.
- 6. Desire.
- 7. Joy is a delight of the mind, from the consideration of the...
- 8. Sorrow is uneasiness in the mind, upon the thought of a good...
- 9. Hope is that pleasure in the mind, which every one finds in...
- 10. Fear is an uneasiness of the mind, upon the thought of future...
- 11. Despair is the thought of the unattainableness of any good,...
- 12. Anger is uneasiness or discomposure of the mind, upon the...
- 13. Envy is an uneasiness of the mind, caused by the consideration...
- 14. What passions all men have.
- 15. Pleasure and pain, what.
- 16. Removal or lessening of either.
- 17. Shame.
- 18. These instances to show how our ideas of the passions are got...
Chapter XXI: Of Power
- 1. This idea how got.
- 2. Power, active and passive.
- 3. Power includes relation.
- 4. The clearest idea of active power had from spirit.
- 5. Will and understanding two powers in mind or spirit.
- 6. Faculties, not real beings.
- 7. Whence the ideas of liberty and necessity.
- 8. Liberty, what.
- 9. Supposes understanding and will.
- 10. Belongs not to volition.
- 11. Voluntary opposed to involuntary, not to necessary.
- 12. Liberty, what.
- 13. Necessity, what.
- 14. Liberty belongs not to the will.
- 15. Volition.
- 16. Powers, belonging to agents.
- 17. How the will, instead of the man, is called free.
- 18. This way of talking causes confusion of thought.
- 19. Powers are relations, not agents.
- 20. Liberty belongs not to the will.
- 21. But to the agent, or man.
- 22. In respect of willing, a man is not free.
- 23. How a man cannot be free to will.
- 24. Liberty is freedom to execute what is willed.
- 25. The will determined by something without it.
- 26. The ideas of liberty and volition must be defined.
- 27. Freedom.
- 28. What volition and action mean.
- 29. What determines the will.
- 30. Will and desire must not be confounded.
- 31. Uneasiness determines the will.
- 32. Desire is uneasiness.
- 33. The uneasiness of desire determines the will.
- 34. This is the spring of action.
- 35. The greatest positive good determines not the will, but...
- 36. Because the removal of uneasiness is the first step to...
- 37. Because uneasiness alone is present.
- 38. Because all who allow the joys of heaven possible, pursue them...
- 39. But any great uneasiness is never neglected.
- 40. Desire accompanies all uneasiness.
- 41. The most pressing uneasiness naturally determines the will.
- 42. All desire happiness.
- 43. Happiness and misery, good and evil, what they are.
- 44. What good is desired, what not.
- 45. Why the greatest good is not always desired.
- 46. Why not being desired, it moves not the will.
- 47. Due consideration raises desire.
- 48. The power to suspend the prosecution of any desire makes way for...
- 49. To be determined by our own judgment, is no restraint to...
- 50. The freest agents are so determined.
- 51. A constant determination to a pursuit of happiness no abridgment...
- 52. The necessity of pursuing true happiness the foundation of...
- 53. Power to suspend.
- 54. Government of our passions the right improvement of liberty.
- 55. How men come to pursue different, and often evil, courses.
- 56. All men seek happiness, but not of the same sort.
- 57. Power to suspend volition explains responsibility for ill...
- 58. Why men choose what makes them miserable.
- 59. The causes of this.
- 60. Our judgment of present good or evil always right.
- 61. Our wrong judgments have regard to future good and evil only.
- 62. From a wrong judgment of what makes a necessary part of their...
- 63. A more particular account of wrong judgments.
- 64. No one chooses misery willingly, but only by wrong judgment.
- 65. Men may err in comparing present and future.
- 66. Causes of our judging amiss when we compare present pleasure and...
- 67. Absent good unable to counterbalance present uneasiness.
- 68. Wrong judgment in considering consequences of actions.
- 1. When we judge that so much evil does not really depend on them as...
- 2. When we judge that, though the consequence be of that moment, yet...
- 69. Causes of this.
- 70. Wrong judgment of what is necessary to our happiness.
- 71. We can change the agreeableness or disagreeableness in things.
- 72. Preference of vice to virtue a manifest wrong judgment.
- 73. Recapitulation- liberty of indifferency.
- 74. Active and passive power, in motions and in thinking.
- 75. Summary of our original ideas.
Chapter XXII: Of Mixed Modes
Chapter XXIII: Of our Complex Ideas of Substances
Chapter XXIV: Of Collective Ideas of Substances
Chapter XXV: Of Relation
Chapter XXVI: Of Cause and Effect, and other Relations
Chapter XXVII: Of Identity and Diversity
Chapter XXVIII: Of Other Relations
Chapter XXIX: Of Clear and Obscure, Distinct and Confused Ideas
Chapter XXX: Of Real and Fantastical Ideas
Chapter XXXI: Of Adequate and Inadequate Ideas
- 1. Adequate ideas are such as perfectly represent their...
- 2. Simple ideas all adequate.
- 3. Modes are all adequate.
- 4. Modes, in reference to settled names, may be inadequate.
- 5. Because then meant, in propriety of speech, to correspond to...
- 6. Ideas of substances, as referred to real essences, not...
- 7. Because men know not the real essences of substances.
- 8. Ideas of substances, when regarded as collections of their...
- 9. Their powers usually make up our complex ideas of substances.
- 10. Substances have innumerable powers not contained in our...
- 11. Ideas of substances, being got only by collecting their...
- 12. Simple ideas, ektupa, and adequate.
- 13. Ideas of substances are ektupa, and inadequate.
- 14. Ideas of modes and relations are archetypes and cannot be...
Chapter XXXII: Of True and False Ideas
- 1. Truth and falsehood properly belong to propositions, not to...
- 2. Ideas and words may be said to be true, inasmuch as they really...
- 3. No idea, as an appearance in the mind, either true or false.
- 4. Ideas referred to anything extraneous to them may be true or...
- 5. Other men's ideas; real existence; and supposed real essences,...
- 6. The cause of such reference.
- 7. Names of things supposed to carry in them knowledge of their...
- 8. How men suppose that their ideas must correspond to things, and...
- 9. Simple ideas may be false, in reference to others of the same...
- 10. Ideas of mixed modes most liable to be false in this sense.
- 11. Or at least to be thought false.
- 12. And why.
- 13. As referred to real existence, none of our ideas can be false...
- 14. Simple ideas in this sense not false, and why.
- 15. Though one man's idea of blue should be different from...
- 16. Simple ideas can none of them be false in respect of real...
- 17. Modes not false cannot be false in reference to essences of...
- 18. Ideas of substances may be false in reference to existing...
- 19. Truth or falsehood always supposes affirmation or negation.
- 20. Ideas in themselves neither true nor false.
- 21. But are false- when judged agreeable to another man's idea,...
- 22. When judged to agree to real existence, when they do not.
- 23. When judged adequate, without being so.
- 24. When judged to represent the real essence.
- 25. Ideas, when called false.
- 26. More properly to be called right or wrong.
Chapter XXXIII: Of the Association of Ideas
BOOK III: Of Words
Chapter I: Of Words or Language in General
Chapter II: Of the Signification of Words
Chapter III: Of General Terms
Chapter IV: Of the Names of Simple Ideas
- 1. Names of simple ideas, modes, and substances, have each something...
- 2. Names of simple ideas, and of substances intimate real existence.
- 3. Names of simple ideas and modes signify always both real and...
- 4. Names of simple ideas are undefinable.
- 5. If all names were definable, it would be a process in...
- 6. What a definition is.
- 7. Simple ideas, why undefinable.
- 8. Instances: scholastic definitions of motion.
- 9. Modern definitions of motion.
- 10. Definitions of light.
- 11. Simple ideas, why undefinable, further explained.
- 12. The contrary shown in complex ideas, by instances of a statue...
- 13. Colours indefinable to the born-blind.
- 14. Complex ideas definable only when the simple ideas of which they...
- 15. Names of simple ideas of less doubtful meaning than those of...
- 16. Simple ideas have few ascents in linea praedicamentali.
- 17. Names of simple ideas not arbitrary, but perfectly taken from...
Chapter V: Of the Names of Mixed Modes and Relations
- 1. Mixed modes stand for abstract ideas, as other general names.
- 2. First, The abstract ideas they stand for are made by the...
- 3. Secondly, made arbitrarily, and without patterns.
- 4. How this is done.
- 6. Instances: murder, incest, stabbing.
- 7. But still subservient to the end of language, and not made at...
- 8. Whereof the intranslatable words of divers languages are a proof.
- 9. This shows species to be made for communication.
- 10. In mixed modes it is the name that ties the combination of...
- 11. Suitable to this, we find that men speaking of mixed modes,...
- 12. For the originals of our mixed modes, we look no further than...
- 13. Their being made by the understanding without patterns, shows...
- 14. Names of mixed modes stand always for their real essences, which...
- 15. Why their names are usually got before their ideas.
- 16. Reason of my being so large on this subject.
Chapter VI: Of the Names of Substances
- 1. The common names of substances stand for sorts.
- 2. The essence of each sort of substance is our abstract idea to...
- 3. The nominal and real essence different.
- 4. Nothing essential to individuals.
- 5. The only essences perceived by us in individual substances are...
- 6. Even the real essences of individual substances imply potential...
- 7. The nominal essence bounds the species for us.
- 8. The nature of species, as formed by us.
- 9. Not the real essence, or texture of parts, which we know not.
- 10. Not the substantial form, which we know less.
- 11. That the nominal essence is that only whereby we distinguish...
- 12. Of finite spirits there are probably numberless species, in a...
- 13. The nominal essence that of the species, as conceived by us,...
- 14. Difficulties in the supposition of a certain number of real...
- 15. A crude supposition.
- 16. Monstrous births.
- 17. Are monsters really a distinct species? Thirdly, It ought to...
- 18. Men can have no ideas of real essences.
- 19. Our nominal essences of substances not perfect collections of...
- 20. Hence names independent of real essences.
- 21. But stand for such a collection of simple substances, as we have...
- 22. Our abstract ideas are to us the measures of the species we...
- 23. Species in animals not distinguished by generation.
- 24. Not by substantial forms.
- 25. The specific essences that are commonly made by men.
- 26. Therefore very various and uncertain in the ideas of different...
- 27. Nominal essences of particular substances are undetermined by...
- 28. But not so arbitrary as mixed modes.
- 29. Our nominal essences of substances usually consist of a few...
- 30. Yet, imperfect as they thus are, they serve for common converse.
- 31. Essences of species under the same name very different in...
- 32. The more general our ideas of substances are, the more...
- 33. This all accommodated to the end of speech.
- 34. Instance in Cassowaries.
- 35. Men determine the sorts of substances, which may be sorted...
- 36. Nature makes the similitudes of substances.
- 37. The manner of sorting particular beings the work of fallible...
- 38. Each abstract idea, with a name to it, makes a nominal...
- 39. How genera and species are related to naming.
- 40. Species of artificial things less confused than natural.
- 41. Artificial things of distinct species.
- 42. Substances alone, of all our several sorts of ideas, have proper...
- 43. Difficult to lead another by words into the thoughts of things...
- 44. Instances of mixed modes named kinneah and niouph.
- 45. These words, kinneah and niouph, by degrees grew into common...
- 46. Instances of a species of substance named Zahab.
- 47. This piece of matter, thus denominated zahab by Adam, being...
- 48. The abstract ideas of substances always imperfect, and therefore...
- 49. Therefore to fix their nominal species, a real essense is...
- 50. Which supposition is of no use.
- 51. Conclusion.
Chapter VII: Of Particles
Chapter VIII: Of Abstract and Concrete Terms
Chapter IX: Of the Imperfection of Words
- 1. Words are used for recording and communicating our thoughts.
- 2. Any words will serve for recording.
- 3. Communication by words either for civil or philosophical...
- 4. The imperfection of words is the doubtfulness or ambiguity of...
- 5. Natural causes of their imperfection, especially in those that...
- 6. The names of mixed modes doubtful.
- 7. Secondly, because they have no standards in nature.
- 8. Common use, or propriety not a sufficient remedy.
- 9. The way of learning these names contributes also to their...
- 10. Hence unavoidable obscurity in ancient authors.
- 11. Names of substances of doubtful signification, because the ideas...
- 12. Names of substances referred, to real essences that cannot be...
- 13. To co-existing qualities, which are known but imperfectly.
- 14. Thirdly, to co-existing qualities which are known but...
- 15. With this imperfection, they may serve for civil, but not well...
- 16. Instance, liquor.
- 17. Instance, gold.
- 18. The names of simple ideas the least doubtful.
- 19. And next to them, simple modes.
- 20. The most doubtful are the names of very compounded mixed modes...
- 21. Why this imperfection charged upon words.
- 22. This should teach us moderation in imposing our own sense of old...
- 23. Especially of the Old and New Testament Scriptures.
Chapter X: Of the Abuse of Words
Chapter XI: Of the Remedies of the Foregoing Imperfections
BOOK IV: Of Knowledge and Probability
Chapter I: Of Knowledge in General
Chapter II: Of the Degrees of our Knowledge
Chapter III: Of the Extent of Human Knowledge
Chapter IV: Of the Reality of Knowledge
Chapter V: Of Truth in General
Chapter VI: Of Universal Propositions: their Truth and Certainty
Chapter VII: Of Maxims
Chapter VIII: Of Trifling Propositions
Chapter IX: Of our Threefold Knowledge of Existence
Chapter X: Of our Knowledge of the Existence of a God
Chapter XI: Of our Knowledge of the Existence of Other Things
Chapter XII: Of the Improvement of our Knowledge
Chapter XIII: Some Further Considerations Concerning our Knowledge
Chapter XIV: Of Judgment
Chapter XV: Of Probability
Chapter XVI: Of the Degrees of Assent
Chapter XVII: Of Reason
Chapter XVIII: Of Faith and Reason, and their Distinct Provinces
- 1. Necessary to know their boundaries.
- 2. Faith and reason, what, as contradistinguished.
- 3. No new simple idea can be conveyed by traditional revelation.
- 4. Traditional revelation may make us know propositions knowable...
- 5. Even original revelation cannot be admitted against the clear...
- 6. Traditional revelation much less.
- 7. Things above reason are, when revealed, the proper matter of...
- 8. Or not contrary to reason, if revealed, are matter of faith;...
- 9. Revelation in matters where reason cannot judge, or but probably,...
- 10. In matters where reason can afford certain knowledge, that is to...
- 11. If the boundaries be not set between faith and reason, no...
Chapter XIX: Of Enthusiasm
Chapter XX: Of Wrong Assent, or Error
Chapter XXI: Of the Division of the Sciences