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# Title: An Essay Concerning Humane Understanding (shelfmarks Leibn. Marg. 38; ZEN Leibn. Marg. 38)
# Folio 177, page id 778263916:0193
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True and False
C HI A P. AAAI.
Of True and False Ideas.
Fone Lhand FalMood, belons, in Proprierr oE Specch, onl
to Propositions; yet Ldeas are oltentimestermed true or false
(as What Wordsare there thatare noc uled with great Laritude, and ittr
Tomie deriation trom their Arict and prover Significations,) ThousM,
thinte, that irten Ldeas chemselres are termed true or Fale, tlere is siII
Torie sceret or tacit Propolutior, wrHich is che Foundation oF eliat Denomi
tation: 2s we stiall sec, il ire examine the particular Occalions, pherein
ther come to De called erue or False. In all ertrich, We Piail And some kind
ot Astirmation, or Negatior, Whichi is che Reason oF tliat Denomination.
For our Ldeas, beine nothirs bui bare Appearances or Perceptions in our
Minds, cannor propertr and simply in chemselves De laid to De true Or
false, no more than a sinsle Name ot ans thirs, can be laid to betrue or
false.
5. 2. Indeed, borh Ldeas and Words, maybe Paid to be true in a metaphysi-
cat Sense oFtheWord Fruth; asallother l’hinss, thatany ray exist, are said
to betrue; i. e. really to besuch as they exilt. Thoush in Thinsscalled truc,
even in thac Sense, there is, perhaps, a sccret reterence ro our Ideas, l00k e
upon as the Scandards oF that Fruth, which amounes to a mentalPropol.
tion, thoriph it be ulually noc cakten notice of
5. 3. But tis nor in thac meraphy sical Sense of Truch, irhieh re en-
quire tiere, irtieri ive examiné, Whrether our Pdeas are capable oF being
true or Palse; bur in cheriore ordinary Accepration oF those WVords: And
(OTTaY, that the Ideas in our Minds, beins only (o manz Perceptions, or
Appearances there, none of them are False. The Idea ot a Centaur, ha-
viris ho more Falshood in ic, utien ic appears in our Minds; than the
Name Centaur has Falstood in it, irhen it is pronounced by our Mouths,
OrvritteM On PaPET. FOr Truth or Faltiood, lyins alirars in lome AHir-
tnation, or Negation, Mental or Verbal, our Pdeas arc not capable any ot
them of beine false, cillthe Mind passes lome Judomeni on them; ThaT1S,
astriris or denies something ot them.
5. 4. Whei ever the Mind resers any of iis Ideas to aris chins
extrancous to them, ther are then capible ro be called true or
fasse. Because theMind in such a reference, atces a tacie Supposition of
their Conformits tothat Thins: wrhich suppolution, as ic happens to be
true or False; (0 the Ideas themselves come to be denominated. ThC
inost usual Cases Wrherein this happens, are these followins:
5. 5. First, When theMind supposes any Ldeait has, conformable ro that in
other Mens Minds called by che lame common Name; 2. 8. Wrtien the
Mind intends, or judges its Ideas ot Justice, Temperance, Relixion, 10 be
the sarrie, rith irhat ocher Nen sive those Names tO.
Secondly, When che Mind suppoles ani Idea it has in it TelF, to bc con-
formable to some reat Existence. Thus che tro Zdeas, OF a Man, and a C en-
taur, suppoled to De the Ideas oF real Substances, are the onc true, and
the orher false; tueone havins a Conlormies ro irhat has really exitted;
tlic other nOt.
turion, alle Lem et als cm, nitercon allirs Properries depend: ast 
chus the greatest part, il not all our Ideus os Substances, are ladse.
5. 1.
Lhiraly, When the Mind refers any Ot itS Lacas d ial reat CDHIII