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# Title: An Essay Concerning Humane Understanding (shelfmarks Leibn. Marg. 38; ZEN Leibn. Marg. 38)
# Folio 302, page id 778263916:0318
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Maxims.
acquainted with, nor such as ies carliest RnoWledge is COnVertanE
about.
S. F0 Seconalr, From what has been Paic, it plainly Pollotrs, that these moori
Aed Maxims, are not the Principles and Foundations of all our other Rnou
ledre. For il there be a great mans other Pruths, Which harcasmuchi sell evi-
denec as ther, and a great mans that ire Know betore them, it is impossi-
Dle cher Mould be the Principles, trom Which ne dedtuce all otter Tructs.
Sitimpossible to lnoi that One and ZWo are equal to Three, DuF ZV vir:
tue ol this, or some luch AXiom, viz. the WVhole is equal e0 eII iIS PAPFS
talen tosether: Mans a onc lnomsthat One and ivo are equal to Three,
Without havins heard, or thouche on that, or any other Axiom, Cy Wrhiek
it misht be proved; and bnors it as certainls as any ocher Mon KnOWWS.
ehat che Wholeis cqual to allits Parts, or any other Maxim, andall trom
the same ReasonoF selfevidence; the Rqualiry of thole Ideas, beine as vi-
lible and certain rotum ithout that, or any other Axiom, as withit, it
needins no prootto malse it perceired. Nor atcer che lnow ledBc, That
the Whole is equal to all its Parts, does he lno that onc and FWO are C
qual tO thrCC, BCtter, Or more certainly than he did before. For it rhere
be any odds in those ideas, the Whole and Parts are more obseure, or at
lcast more difficult to be setled in the Minc, than thole oF One, Tuo, and
Three. And indced, Pchink, Pmas aste these Men, who will nccdshare
al Rnomledoe besides those general principles themselres, to depend on
general, innate, and selfevident Principles, What Principle is requisite to
prove, that One and One are Zvo, that Luo and Zwo are Four, that Three
times Zwoare Six: Wtrich beins lenorn ithout any proot, do evince
That cither all Hnom ledsedoesnoc depend on certain Praecognita or gene-
ral Maxims, called Principles; or elle that these are Principles: and it
these are tobe counted Principles, a great part of Numeration ill DC (0.
ToWhichi we add aIl the selfevident Propolitions, may be made about
aIl our distinet ideas, Principles will Be almost intinite, at least innume-
rable, ertich Men arrive co the Rnomledge of, at different AGCS; and q
Preat mans of theseinnate Principles, they never come to linow all their
Lires. Buc Whether ther come in vier os the Mind, carlier or later, this is true
OFthem, chat they arcall bnoun by their natire Fridence, are Wrhollr in
devendent, receire no Lighr, nor are capable ot anr proot one trom ano-
tler; much less themore particular, trom the more seneral; or the
more simple, trom ehe more compounded: the more limple, and less al.
stract, being the most tamiliar, and the casier and carlier apprehended.
Bur Whicherer De the clearest Ldeas, the F.vidence and Certainty oF alI such
Proposionsis in this, Thar a Man scesthe lame Idea to be the lame Idea,
and insallibly perceires eroditterent deas to Dedifferent Ldeas. FOr When a
Man has in his Onderstandine, the Ideas ot one and ot tro; the Idea ot
Vello and the Ldea of Blue, hecannotbur certainls linor, thatthe Idea
oF One is the Idea oF One, and not tHse Ldea of Tro; and that the Idea
Ot Vellor is the idea ot Vello, and not the idea oE Bluc. For aMan
cannor contound the ldeas in his Mind, Which he has dictinct: Thac
ouldbero have them consused and distinet at the lame rime, rrhich is a
Contradiction: And to have none diltindt, is to have no ule ot our Facul-
Eies, to have no KEnowledoe at aII. And cherelore irtrat Idea soever is aF-
Sirmed OFiF selF; Or Whatsoerer tuo entire distinet Ideas are denied onc of
auother, the Mlind cannot but assent to such a Propolition, as intallibly
erue, as loon as ie understands the Terms, Without FPelititation or necd ot
Proot, orresardins tholemacle in more general Terms, and called Maxims.
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