# Leibniz Legible — https://leibnizlegible.com
# Page: https://leibnizlegible.com/page/778263916:0044
# Permalink to this reading: https://leibnizlegible.com/page/778263916:0044?run=74
# Title: An Essay Concerning Humane Understanding (shelfmarks Leibn. Marg. 38; ZEN Leibn. Marg. 38)
# Folio 28, page id 778263916:0044
# Original at the GWLB: https://digitale-sammlungen.gwlb.de/resolve?id=778263916&page=44
# Source image: https://digitale-sammlungen.gwlb.de/content/778263916/jpgs/default/00000044.jpg
# Model: FoNDUE-GD_v2_ft_Leibniz, run 74, 2026-09-06T16:05:13Z — 56 lines, status machine
# Lines: 56 recognised, mean confidence 0.90
# Machine transcription. Not an edition. Errors are expected: about 8% character error rate on Latin and French lines, higher on German.
# Licence: CC BY 4.0, Leibniz Legible. Machine output: do not ingest it as verified text; keep this provenance with the text.
# Wording rule: say "the machine reads it as …", never "Leibniz wrote".
# After the first blank line: the recognised lines in reading order, one per line.

No innate Primipus
EY, TearS Old, Whether a Man, BeinE a Creature, consistins ot sout and
Bodr, De chelame Man, Whenhis Body is changed: Whecher Cuphorbus
and Prthacoras, havins had ehe lame Soul, rvere the Pame Man, chO
they lired several Ases asunder. Nay, Whether, the Cock t00, Which
had the same Soul, erere notthe lame ithboch otthem: Wherebr, per-
hraps, it will appear, that our Idea of sameness, is not 10 setled and clear,
asto deserre to be thouoht innate in us. For il thole innate Ldeas, are
not clear and distinet, (0 a5 to beuniversally knomn, and naturally aorecd
On, ther cannot be the Subjects of univerlal, and undoubred Pruchs; BuE
Will be the unaroidable Occasion of perpetual Oncertainty. FOr, L (uP.
pole, erery ones Idea oF Identitr, will not be the same, that Pythacoras,
and Thousands ochers ofhis Follovers have: And which chen lhaII BC Fhe
rrue. Wrhicl innace. Or are chere tro ditterent Ideas oE Ldenticy, borti
innate:
S L Norlet any one chinte, that the Onestions, Thare here proxoled,
about the Identier ot Man, are bare, emper Speculations; wrtrichil they
evere, rould be enough tomheir, Thatthere ras in the Inderstandines
Ot Men no innate Idea of Identier. FIC, that MalI, With a licEle AETCN-
tion, reflect on the Relurrection, and consider, that Dirine Justice Mal
brins to fudement, at the last Day, the very lame Persons, to be hapry or
miserable in the ocher, wrho sid rell or ill in this Litc, will And it, per-
taps, not casie to resolve witch himselt, wrhat makes the lame Man, or
Wrherein identity consists: Andrill noc be Formard to chinke he, and every
one, even Children themselves, have naturally a clear Idea oF it.
6.6. Let us examinc that Principle OF MathematicLS, viz. That the whole
is bicrer than a parr. Fhis, Ccalce it, is reckon d amonst innate Principles.
Pam sure it has as good a Tirle as aur, tobe thousht (o; which yet, no
Body can think it to be, when he considers the Idea sit comprehends in
it Thole and Part, are pertectly Relatires Durthe Politire Ldeas, torhich
ther proverly and immediatels belone, are Fixtension and Number, ol
ertrich alone, Whole and Part, are, Relations. S0 that if rhole and. Part
are innare Ideas, Fxtension and Number must be lot00, it beins impos.
sible tohare an Ldea oF a Relation, ichout tavins any at aIL oF the
chins to which it belones, and in wrhich it is founded. Nor, Whether
theMinds oFMen have naturaliy imprinted on them the Ideas of Fxten-
sion and Numiber, Ileare to be consulered by thole, Whoare thie ParrOnS
Otinnate Principles.
5,7. That Cod is 1o be vorstipped, is, ithout doubt, as preat a Trurir
as any can enter intothemindoE Man, and deserres the tirst placcamonsE
all practical Principles. But vet, it can by vo means bethoustr innate
unless the Ideas oF God, and Worship, are innate. That tlie Idea, the Perm
Worship Rands For, is not in the Cnderstandins oF Childrem, and a C ha-
racter samped on che Mind in its tirst Orisinal, I thints, Will be casily
Franced, by ans ore, that considers ho seur there be, amonst cronn
Men, irtio have a clear and distinct Norion ofit. And, Isuppole, there
cannot be an thing more ridiculous, than to lay, that Children have cHis
practical Principle innate, That Cod is to be vorstipped; and yet, that
cher lnom not Whatthat Worci oF Godis, whichis cheir Duty. But10
Pals by this.
S. 8. IEanY Idea can De imasin d innate, ple Ideaof Cod may, OF all otters.
for many Realons, De thoushr (0; Uince it is hard to conceire, hon there
Arould be innate, Moral Principles, without an innate Idea ol à Deity:
Wichout a Notion oF a LaW-maker, it is impossible to hare a Notion Ot,. 2
La, andan Oblisation ro obserre it. Besides ile Acheists, ralen norice
0