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# Title: An Essay Concerning Humane Understanding (shelfmarks Leibn. Marg. 38; ZEN Leibn. Marg. 38)
# Folio 198, page id 778263916:0214
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Names of simple Ideas.
all: And cheresore a Detinition, Which is proverly nothins but the sewine
themeanins oF one Word by several ochers, noc lignitying cach che larrie
thino, can in the Names of simple Ldeas have no Place.
6. 8. Fhenot observins this difference in our Pdeas, and their NamES,
has produced that eminent trittins in the Schools, which isso casie t0
De observed, in the definitions they gire us of lome sew of these simple
Ideas. Foras tottie orearest pare ot them, even those Masters ot Dehni-
tions, vere tain eo leave them untouchd, meerl by the imposibilitr
ther sound in ic. What more exquilite Farcon could the Wit ot Nan in-
vent, than this Detinition, The Act of a beine in Pover, as far forth as
in Pover, Wrhich vould purzle ans rational elan, tonhom it vas not
already Known by its famous ablurditi, to guess what Nord ic could e.
ver De supposed to be the Lixplication ot. IF Tully astring a Dutchman Wlrat
Beweexince Was, Mould have receired this Explication in his omn Lan
suase, that it ras Actusentis in potentia quatenus in potentia; Iaste Wrhe-
ther any one can imagine he could thereby have understood wrhat the
Word Beweeringe lignitied, or have guessed What Ldea a Dutchman ordinari-
Iy had in his Nind, and irould signitie to another, Wrhen he uled that sound.
6. 9. Nor hare the modern Philosophers, irho have endeavoured 10
thron of the Farcon oF the Schools, and speakc intolligiblz, mueh bet-
ter succecded in detinins simple Ldeas, Whether by explainins their C au-
ses, or any othermise. The Aromists, Who detine Motionto De a passaze
fromone place to another, What do they more than pur one lynonymous
Nord For another: For What is Passase ocher chan Motion: And il they
aere astced what Passase as; Iloir vouldchey berter define it than by
Motion: For is it nor et least as prover and signiticant, to lay, P’assare is a
Motion from one place to another, 2s to lay, Morion is a Passare, etc. This
istotranstate, and not to detine, when we chanse ero Words of thelame
Signitication one For another; which irhen onc is better understood
ehian the ocher, maz serve todiscover irhat Idea the unknomn Ctands For;
but is vers far trom a Detinition, unless e will lay, erery Enolistr Word
in theDictionarr, is the detinition of the Larin Word it ansivers, and
thatMotion is a detinition OF MotuS. Nor will the successive application
of the parts of the Superticies of one Body, to those of another, Wvtrich the
Cartesians sire us, prove a much becrer detinition ol Motion, irhen well
examincd.
6. XO. The Act of Perspicuous, as far forth as perspicuous, is anorher
Peripaterick definition ot a simple Idea; Wrhich choueli noc more absurd
chanthe former of Morion, zec betraysits Vsclelsnels and Inlignificaner
more plainlz, Decause Experience rill casils convince any onc, that ic
cannot makre the meanine oF the Word Lichr (Wrhich it pretends to de-
FinC) at all understood by a blind Mtan: bue the detinition of Motion ap.
Peaxsnot at tirst sistur so uselels, because it scapes this way ofTrial. For
Enis simple Idea entrins by the Touch as well as Sighes tis impossible
eother an Example of ans onc, Wrhro has no ocher ey eo ger the Idea ot
norion, but barely by che detinirion of that Name. When the Cariesi-
ans tellus, that Licht is a great number of litele Clobules, sritins briste-
ly on the borrom ol the FyC, they speak a lirtle more intelligibly thanthe
Schools: Dut vet thele Words never (o ell understood, vould matre the
Ideas the Word Liehe RandsFor, no more bnoon to a Man chat under.
Sands it not betore, chan it one Mould tell him, ThaE LisHE WaS nO
chins buc aCompany of litele Tennis- baIIS, Which Fairies all Day lons
Arook ich Rackets againct lome Mens Fore heads, Whils thes passed
by others. Forerancins his eixplication ot che chins r0 be ere; vet e
Idea
BOC