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# Title: An Essay Concerning Humane Understanding (shelfmarks Leibn. Marg. 38; ZEN Leibn. Marg. 38)
# Folio 253, page id 778263916:0269
# Original at the GWLB: https://digitale-sammlungen.gwlb.de/resolve?id=778263916&page=269
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# Lines: 56 recognised, mean confidence 0.91
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and Abuse , I ords
Onderstandines hare. no octier Object irherein ther agree, but barely th
Sound, ehic Thinos chat chey chink on at thac time, as expressed Dy char
Nord beins quire different.
5. 7. Whether a Bas be a Bird, or no, is noc a question, Whether a BaE
beanother Thins than indeed it is, or hare other Oualiries than indeed
it lias, for chat ould be extremely absurd to doubt of: But the queltion
is, r. Fither berircen those that acknom ledsed themselves to have Due
impertect sdeas of orie or bocti oFthole Porrs oF Things, For wrhich chese
Namesare supposed io stand; and then it is a real enquiry, concernin
itie Nacure o a Bird, Or a Bat, to make their vet impertect Ideas oF it
more complete, by examinins, whecher allelio simple Ideas, eo rhicti
combined together, they boch sire ehie name Bird, be all. to be Found in
a Bat: But chis is a Ouection onl) oE Enquirers, (noc DispuTerS,) irho nei
cher actuni, nor dens, but examine: Or, 2. IE is a Oueltion berween Dis-
Dutanes; Wtiereof the one aftiems, and the ocher denies, that a Bat is a
Bird: Andttien the Ovection is barels about che Signification ol one, or
Doch ehiese Words; in chat they not havins both the lame complex Ideas,
io hichther sire chese ero Names, orie holds, and t’other denies, that
these tnro names maz be affirmed one or another. Were ther acreed inthe
Signification of these trro Names, it ivere impossible they Mould disputea-
bout chem: For they vould presently and elearly sec, (ivero that adjusted
bermeen ehem,) Wrhether all ehe simple Ideas; OE the more general name
Bird, irere Tound in elie complex Idea ot a Bat, Or nO; and (othere
could be no doube, rhecher a Bat ere a Bird, or no. And here I de
sire it mar be considered, and caretully examined, whectier the greatest
Part oFchie Dispures in the Worid, are noc meerly Verbal, and about the
Signification of Words; and chat il che termsthes are made in, vere de-
Fined, arid reduced in cheir Signification (a5 thes must be, Wrhere they
Cignitie any chins) to thesimple Ldeas ther Cand For, thole Disputes rould.
Hot end of themselres, and immediatels vaniMt. L leare it then to be
considered, irtiat the learning of Disputation is, and hon well they are
imploz d For the adrantase of themselves; or others, whole businels is
onty che vain ostentation of Sounds; i. c. thole who spend their Lires in
Disputes and Controverlies. When PMail sec anr oF thole Combatants,
Srip all his Ferris of Ambiguier and Obscurity, (Wrhich every one may
dos in the WVords he ales himselE, as far as he has clear and distinct NO-
tions to which he applies them,) I Mail chinkehim a Champion FOr RnO
ledse, Fruch, and Peace, and northe Slare of Vain-slors, Amibition, or
a Parts.
8. 8. Zo remedy the Defects of Speech belore mentioned, to some desree
and to prevent the Inconvenienciesthat follon trom them, limasine, the
obserration of thele Follorine Rules may De of ule, rill some Body berter
able siall judse ic rorthhis while, to thinss more macurels on thismat.
ter, and oblisothie Worid with his Thoushus on it.
First, AMan Mould take care touse no Word without a fienification, no
Name Without an Idea For Wrhich hemakces it stand. This Rule will nOc
feem altogether needless, to any onc ho Mall take the pains eo recol.
lect ho osten he has met rith such WVords; a5 Instinct, Sympathy, and
Antipathr. exc. inthe Discourse ot others, so inade use oF, as he misnt
calili conclude, that chole thar used them, had no Ideas in their Minds
to wrhich ther axplied them; but spoke them only as Sounds, Wrhich usu-
ally served instead ot Rcalons; on the litie occations. Not but chat
these Nords, and che likre, have andmay be uscd, in very proper Sionit
cations; bur chere beins no nacural connerions betweea any Nords; anet
aMy