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# Title: An Essay Concerning Humane Understanding (shelfmarks Leibn. Marg. 38; ZEN Leibn. Marg. 38)
# Folio 165, page id 778263916:0181
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otinet and confused Ideas.
5.8. Secondly, Another desault, ehich mates our Ideas contusec, is, When
choush the particulars that malce up any idea, are in number enousl:
Vet tler are so jumbled tosether, that it is not caluls discernable, Wrherher
ic more belonos to the Name chatis siven it, than to any other. There
isnothins proverer to makre us conceire this Contusion, than a Torr ot
Dictures usually Bemn, as surprizing Picces of Art, Whrerein the Colours.
as ther are laid by the Pencil on che Table it seIF, martrout very odd and
unusual Fioures, and have no discernable order in their Position. This
Draughe, thus madeup oF parts, Wherein no Symmetry nor Order appears
is, in ic selt, no more a contused Thins, than che ricture ot a cloudy Sty:
Wrherein chouxh chere be as lictle order of Colours, or Figures to betound,
vet no bodu chinus it a confuled Picture. Whac is it chen, that matres it
be thouoht contulec, since the vane ot Symmetry does noc: as ic is plain
ic does not; for another Drauehe made, barely in imitation ofthis, could
noc be called confused: l ansiver, Thac which makces it be thouxht con-
fused, is the applrins it to lome Name, torhich it docs no more discer.
nabiy belone; than to some oiher; v. 8. When it is laid to be the Pi.
Cture oF a Man, Or Caesar, then any one with reason connes it consu-
sed: because it is not discernable, in that cate, to belone more tothe
name Man, or C aesar, than tothe name Baboon, or Pomper; wrtrich arc
suppoled to stand For different Ideas, trom those signitied by Man, Or
Caesar. Bur Wlen a cylindrical Mirrour, placed righe, hath reduced thole
irregular Lines on the Table, into cheir due order and provortion, then che
Contution ceales, and chePye presently sccs, that it is a Man, or C aesar;
i. e that it belones cothole Names; and chat it is sufticienely dictingui-
Mable From a Baboon, Or Pomper; i. e. Trom the Ideas Signitied By chole
Names. Just thus it is ich our Ldeas, ertrich are, as it rvere, chelictures
OF Things. Noone os thele mental Draughes, hoverer the parrs areput
together, can be called contused, (For chey are plainly discernible as thiey
are,) eill it beranked under some ordinary Name, to which it cannot bo
discernedto belons, any more chan it does to lome other Name, ot an al-
lorred ditterent lionitication.
6. 9. Thiralr, A third desect that trequently gires the name ot Contu-
sed, to our Ideas, is Whren anr one of them is uncertain, and undetermined.
Thus we mar obserre Men, WhonorForbearins ro uletheordinary Words
of their Languaxe, till thes have learn d cheir precise signification, change
ehe Ldea, they matre this or thar term Rand for, almolt as olten as they ule
it. IIC thac does this, out ol uncertaint of irhrat he Mould lcave out, or
Dut into his Idea oE Church, or Idolatry, every time he thintes ol cither,
and holdsnot Acadrro any one precise Combination ot Ldeas, that mates
it up, is saidro have a contused idea of Idolatry, or theChurch: Thouoh
ehis be sill For the lame realon thac the former, viz. Because a mutable Idea
(iF We will allon it ro be one Ldea) cannot belons to one Name, rather
chananocher; and soloses chediltinction, cat diltinet Names are desioned
FOr.
8. F0. By Wrhathas Been said, we may observe hor much Names, a5
supposed stcady signs oF Things, and by cheir difference to Aand For-
and keep Thines dictinct, char inthemselves are different, are the occasion
if denominatine Ideas distinet or confused, by a secret and unoblervedrete
rence, themind matres oF its Ldeas to luch Names. This, pertaps, will De
suller understood, after Whar IPay oF Nords, in the Third BOOH, has BCen
read and considered. But Wwithone catrine notice oF uch a reterence et Ideas
to distinct Names, as the siens of distinet Thinss, it will be hard to lay
urhat a contused idea is. And cheretore when a Man deliens, by any Name