An Essay Concerning Humane Understanding, fol. 141
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The machine reads it as
- Uet
- re
- Chap. L LIII. Our Ideas of substances.
- verr admirable: But il Fyes (o Tramed, could nor vier at once the Flanc
- and the Characters oF the HTour. plare, and thereby at a distance sec what
- 2. Clock it as, their Omner could not be much benetited by that acute-
- vess; wrhich whillt, ic discovered the secret contrivance olthe Parts ol the
- Machin, made him looleits ulc.
- 5. F3. And here sive me lcave to propole an extravasant conjecture oF
- mine, viz. Fhat since ve have lome Reason, (il there be any Credit t0
- besiven cothe repore oE thinss, that our PhilO(Ophy CANNOLACCOUNEFOF,)
- to imaginc. that Spirits can assume to themselres Bodies ot differene BuII,
- Figure, and Conformation ol Parrs, Whether one great advantase some ot
- them have over us, may not lic in chis, that they can (0 trame,, and Brape
- tothemselves Organs oF Senlarion or Perception, 25 ro suit them to their
- present Desion, and the Circumstances ol the Object ther ould consi-
- der. For horr much vould that Nan excced all otters in Rnowledee,
- irtrohad bur theFaculer soro alter the Scructure oFhis Fy es, thatone Sense.
- 25 to make it capable oF all the several degrees of Vision, Wrhich the al
- fistence of Glasses (calually at at tirst listicon) hastaught us to conceive:
- What mondors rould he discover, Wrho could (0 ht his Fye to aII TOrrS OF
- Objects, as to sec when he pleased the Figure and Motion ol the minure
- Particles in the Blood, and other juices of Animals, as distinct Iy as he docs
- at other times the saxe and morion of the Animals Themselves. BUE LO
- us in our present state, unalterable Orsans, so contrired, asto dilcover the
- Figure and Motion oF che minute parts ol Bodies, Whercon devend thole
- senlible Dualities, we nor observe in chem, vould, perhaps, be of no ad
- vantase. Ciod has no doube made us so, as is best For us in our presene
- Condition. IIc hach firred us For che Neishbourhood of the Bodies, that
- Furround us, and we have to do with: And thouot e cannoc by the Fa-
- culties me have, attain to a perfect Rnomledse of Thines; vet ther will
- serre us ell enoush For thole ends abore mentioned, Wwhich are our preat
- Concermment. IbeS my ReaderS Pardon, for lavine betore him (o wild
- a Phansie, concernins the wars of Conception in Beines abore us: But
- Bor extravagant soerer it be, I doubt Whecher re can imagine any chine
- about the Rnomledsc oF Ansels, but alter this maniner, some Way or o-
- ther, in proxortion to irhat re tind and oblerre in our selves. And tho
- e cannot butallon, that the intinite Porver and Wisdom ot Ciod, may
- trame Creatures rith a thousand other Faculties, and irays or perecirine
- thinss richour them, than whac re have: Yet oue Thouotus car eono
- Farther than our omn, soimpossible it is For us to cnlarse our very Cuesses
- berond the ideas received trom our oon senlation and Reflection. The
- Suppolition at least, that Ansels do lomctimes altume Bodies, necd not
- Aareleus, since some of the most ancient, and most. lcarned Fathers of thO
- Chureh, Scemed to beliere, chat thez had Bodies: And this is certain, that
- their late, and way oP Existence is untenomn to us.
- D. F4. BUFtO return tO the Macter in Hand, Te Tdeas Wehave OE Sub.
- sances; and thowass e come by chem, I say our Ideas of Substances
- are nochins ellebut a Collection of a certain number of simple Ideas, consi-
- dered as united in one thine. Thele Ideas ot Substances, thoushthey are
- commontr called limple Apprehentions, and the Wames ot them limple
- Terms; vet in esfeet, are complex and compounded. Thus the Idea
- ertich an FneusB. man significd by ehe Name Svan, is trhire Colour,
- lons Neck, red beak, BIaCK L Cos, and Whole Feet, and all these ot a certain
- 1zC, Wrich a porer of limmins in the Narer, and matsins a certain kind
- OF Noile, and, pertraps, toa Man, rho has lone observed thole kind of Birds,
- tome other Propercieo, itiicta all cerminale in senlible simple labas.
Cite
An Essay Concerning Humane Understanding, fol. 141. Machine transcription, not an edition: Leibniz Legible (model FoNDUE-GD_v2_ft_Leibniz, run 74). https://leibnizlegible.com/page/778263916:0157?run=74