An Essay Concerning Humane Understanding, fol. 136
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The machine reads it as
- Idéas of Substances
- CHI A L. XZIII.
- Of our Complex Ideas of Substances.
- Fe Mind beins, as P hare declared, Furnished with a great nuI-
- ber of the simple Ldeas, convered in by the senses, asther are
- Found in exterior things, orby Reftection onirs omn Operations, taties no
- ticealso, that a certain number of these simple Ideas 80 constantly toge-
- ther; ertrich beins presumed to belone to one thins, and, Wordsbeinz
- luited to common apprehentions, and madle usc ot for quick dispatch, are
- called so united in one subject, by onc name; Which by inadrertener ve
- are apt atterward to talle ot and consider as one single Idea, Which in
- decd is a complication o manz ideas tocethier: Because, as Ihave laid,
- nocimasinins hor thele simple ideas can sublist by themselres, We accu.
- Aom our selves, to suppole lome Substrarum, Wrherein they do lubsitt,
- and trom which they do relult, wrhich theretore e caII Substance.
- 5. 2. S0 that il any onc rill examine himsele concernins his Notion of
- pure Substance in general, he ill tind he has no other ldea oF it at all, but
- Only a Suppolition ofhe lnors noc what support of such dualities, irtich
- are capable of producins simple Ideas in us; Which Oualities are com
- monly called Accidents: And il ans one Mould beastred, whatis the subjest
- Wwherein Colour or Weislt inhreres, he trould have nothins tolay, but
- the Colid extended parts: Aud il he rvere demanded, Wtrat is it, thac thae
- Solidiey and Extension inhere in, he would noc bein a much ketter cale,
- than the Indian belore mentioned; Who Pazing that the Worid vas sup.
- portedby a great tlephant, wras astred, what the Elephant rested on; 1o
- ertrich his ansiver Was, A greac Tortoile: But beine again presed FO KnOW
- irtrat sare suppore to the broac backed Tortoile, replied, Comething, he
- lnem not whrat. And chushere, as in all other cases, irhere re ulc Words
- ithout having clear and distinct Ideas, We talk litce Childron; Who Be.
- ins queltioned, What such a thing is, Which they lnow noc; readily sive
- this larissactory ansiver, Thaeis lomethine; wrhich in truth signities no
- more tien so uled, cirher by Children or Men, but that they bneer noc
- erhrat; and thac thechins ther pretend to knoW, and tal oE, is Wrtrat
- ther trave no distinst Idea ot at all, and s0 are pertectly ienorant of it
- and in the darts. The Idea then re have, to wrhich re sive the gene
- ral name Substance, beins nochine, bur the supposcd, bur unkenorn sup.
- Port OFthole Oualities e And exictins, Which re imasine cannor subsist,
- sine re substante, without lomethins to suppore them, ive call that Sup.
- Port Substantia; which according to the true impore oF the Nord is, in
- Plain Fnclish standine under, or upholding.
- 9. 3. An obscure and relatire sdea ot Substance in general beino thus
- macle, re come to have the Ideas of particular sorts of Substances, by
- collectins such Combinations oE simple Ideas, a5 are by Experience and
- Obserration oF Mens Senses taken notice of to exist rogether, and are
- cheretore supposed to Ror trom the particular internal Constitution, or
- untnomn Fssence ot that Substance. Thusire come to havethe Ideas ot
- 2Man, HTorse, Gold, Water, C5c. OF erhich Substances, Wrhether any one
- has any ocher clear Ldea, Farther than oF certain simple Ideas coexictins to
- sether, Iappeal to every ones own experience. Pis the ordinary Oua
- licies, obserrable in tron, or a Diamond, puc rosether, chac malie che truv
- COM.
- 6. r.
Cite
An Essay Concerning Humane Understanding, fol. 136. Machine transcription, not an edition: Leibniz Legible (model FoNDUE-GD_v2_ft_Leibniz, run 74). https://leibnizlegible.com/page/778263916:0152?run=74