# Leibniz Legible — https://leibnizlegible.com
# Page: https://leibnizlegible.com/page/778263916:0077
# Permalink to this reading: https://leibnizlegible.com/page/778263916:0077?run=74
# Title: An Essay Concerning Humane Understanding (shelfmarks Leibn. Marg. 38; ZEN Leibn. Marg. 38)
# Folio 61, page id 778263916:0077
# Original at the GWLB: https://digitale-sammlungen.gwlb.de/resolve?id=778263916&page=77
# Source image: https://digitale-sammlungen.gwlb.de/content/778263916/jpgs/default/00000077.jpg
# Model: FoNDUE-GD_v2_ft_Leibniz, run 74, 2026-09-06T16:05:13Z — 60 lines, status machine
# Lines: 60 recognised, mean confidence 0.89
# 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.

ACe
e
ve
b
re
id
eM
di
1at
re
EtMP.
Of Perception.
8. T. D Erception, as it is the tirst Paculer oF che Mind, exercilec about
our Ideas; Poic is the frst and simplest. Idea e have From Re-
Rection, and is by some called Thintcins in general. Thoush Thinkins.
in the proprietr ot the Fneliss LOngue, Signites that POrE OF operation
oFthe Mlind about its Ideas, Wherein ehe Mind is activo; Where it ith
Pome degree ol voluntary actention, considers any thing. For in bare
naked Perception, the Mind is, For the most part, only paltive; andwhat
it perceires, it cannor avoid perceivins.
5. 2. Whac Perception is, erery one ill Hnow Becter, by reflecting on
ertrat hedoes himsels, Wrhen he sces, hcars, scels, 65c. Or thinks, than by
aur discourse ofmine. Whoerer reflects ori irhat passes in himlels in his
omnMinc, cannot miss it: Andis he does not restect, all the rords in che
Norid, cannoc malce him have any notion ot it.
6. 3. This is certain, Thac whaterer alterations are made in the Body,
isthey reach not theMind; Whaterer imprections are made on the out-
vard pares, il thes arenor calien notice of within, there is no l’erception.
Fire may burn oux Bodies, with no ocher effect than it docs a Billet, un-
less the morion be continued to rhe Brain; and there the sense ot FICat,
or Idea oF Pain, be produced in che Mind, rheren consils actual Per-
ception.
6. 4. FTor olten may a Man observe in himsels, that whilst his Mind i5
intently employ d in the contemplation of fome Objects; and curiousr
surverino lome Pdeas thatarethere, it tatces no notice of impressions, ot
Coundino Bodies, Wrhich are broueht in thouoh the same alteration be
made upon the Orsan ol FPcaring, that ules to be for the producino the
Tdea ot a Sound: A sufficient impulse chere maz be on the Oroan: ByF
it not reaching the observation ot the Mind, there Follors no perception:
Andchouoh the morion that ules to produce the sdea oF Sound, be made
in the Far, vet no sound is heard. Want ol Sensation in this case, is not
chroueh any delect inthe Organ, or that his Pars are lels affected than ax
Other times, When he does hear: but thac wtich ules to produce the
Idea, thouch conrered in by the ulual Organ, not beins tatten notice of
in the Onderstanding, there Follons no Sensation. S0 chat where-ever
thereis Senle, or Perception, there some Ideais actually produced, and pre-
sent in the cnderstandine.
6. 5. Fherelore I doube noc but Children, DY the exereise ot cheir Sen-
ses about Objects, that affect them in the Womb, receive some feu Ideas
belore cher are born, as the unavoidable effects; cittier of thie Bodies that
environ them, or elle oE thole Wants or Dileases ther sulter; amonest
Wtrict. (iF one mar conjecture concernins thinos not verr capable ot ex.
amination) Pchinke, the Ideas oF Flunger and Waemei are tiro: Wrhich
Probabls are lome ofthe trAt chac Children have, and trhichthey scaree
everpart with again.
5. 6. But though it berealonable to imasine, thac Chuldren receIVE
Tome Faeas belore ther come into the Worid, vet thele simple Ideas are
far from thole innate Principles, Wrhich lome contend for, and ve above
have rejected. These here mentionec, beins che etteasol Sensation, are
onts