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# Title: An Essay Concerning Humane Understanding (shelfmarks Leibn. Marg. 38; ZEN Leibn. Marg. 38)
# Folio 300, page id 778263916:0316
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Maxims.
Every one chat has any Rnowledee ac all, has, 25 the. Tourdarion oF. it,
various and distinet ideas: And it is the frst act ot the Mind, (wictr.
out irtrich, it can never be capable ol any Rnomledsc,) to linom
everr one oF irs Ideas by it Celt, and distinguishr it trom ochers. This is tMat
erhich every one tinds in himselt, chat the Ideas he hashe knors; heknois
also irhen anx one is in his Inderttandins, and erhat it is: And When
more than onc are there, heknorsthem distinctly and unconsulecly one
trom another: Which alvays beins (0, (it beins impossible buc chat he
Tould perceire erhat he perceires,) he cari never be in doube irhren aur
Idea is in his Mind, that it is there, and is that Idea it is; and FhaL EVO
distinct Ideas, wrtren elies are in his Mind, are there, and are nor one
aud the same Idea. S0 that all such AParmations, and Negations, are
made ichout ans postibilitr oF doubr, uncertaintr, or helitation, and
must necessarils be assented to, as soon as understood; chat is, as loon as
e have, in our Mincs, the Ideas elcar and diltinct, whuch the Termsin
the Propolition Cand For. It is not therelore alone to thele tro general
Propoltions, Whatsoever i5, i5; and, It is impossible for the same Thine to
be, and not eo be, that this Selfevidence belones by any peculiar riglt.
The perception ot beino, or not beine, belonos no more no thele raoue
Ideas, Cgnihed By cheterms hatsoever, and Thing, than it doesto any
Other Ideas. The Mind, without the help ot any proot, perceires as
cleariy, and bnos as certainty, that the Idea otWrhire, is the Idea oE
Wrhire, and not the idea oF Blue; and thac che idea ot Whice, Wrhen it
is in the Mind is there, and is not absent; and (0 a Triangle, Motion, a
Man- or any other Ldeas Whratloever. Sothat in relpect of Identiry, our
intuirive Rnomledse reaches as Par as our Pdeas: And so ve are capable
oFmaking as many selF evident Propolitions, as re have names for, di
sinct Ideas. And Iappeal to ever ones omn Mind, Whether this Pro-
Dolition, ACircle is a Circle, De nOE aS SelF evident a Propolition, a5 that
consistins oF more general terms, Whatsoever i5, i5: And again, Whether
this Proposition, Blue is not Red, DC nOL a Propolition that thoMind
can no more doube os, as soon as it understands che Nords, than it does
otthat Axiom, Et is impossible for the same thine robe, and not zo be: and
P0 OF all tho like.
6. 5. Seconcly, AStO Corexistence, or such a necessary connexion be-
treen tro Fdeas, that in che Subjeet erhere one of them is supposcd,
there the ocher must recessarils Dcalso: OP such aereement, or disagree.
ment as this, the Mind has an immediate perception but in very sew ot
them. And cherelore in this Pore, we have buc very liccle intuitive
Hnomledse: nor are there to be found verr mans Propolitions chat are
settevident, thouch some there aro; 2. 5. The Idea ot Alling ot a place
equal tO the COntenES OF its superticies, being annexed to our Ldea of BodY,
IThinls it is a sell. erident Propolition, That tuo Bodies cannot be in the
same place.
66 Tpiralr, AS Eo the Relations et Modes, Mlathematicians have
Framed many Arioms concerninq that one Relation et Equalier. AS
Equals talcen trom Fquals, the remainder will be Equals; irhich, Witt
the rest ol that bind, horrever thes are receired for Maxims by theMa-
chemaricians, and are unqueltionable TrutHs; vet, I Think, that anr one
ertio considers them, rill not find, that thes have a clearer selF evidence
than thele, that one and onc, are equal to two; that il rou talse From ehe
tive Fingers et onc eland trro, and trom the tive Fingers ot enc orter
Farl tiro, the remainins number will beequal. Thele, and a thouland
ortier tuct Proxolirions mas be Lourd in Nuribess, uhich, ut very sust her
rinS.
BC