An Essay Concerning Humane Understanding, fol. 168
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The machine reads it as
- Distinet and confused Ideas.
- his Ideas FO Fhat Degree, Without LOsInS SigHF OF them, let him add ten
- Exphers to cach oF ehose Numbers; For thac ill brins it no Rearer che
- end of intinite Division, than the Airst hals docs. I must consels tor my
- Part, Lhave no clear, distinct Ldeas ofthe ditterent Dull, or Extention ot
- those Bodies, havins but a vers obscure one ot cither of chem. Sothat, l
- chine, When re talkoF Dirision oF Podies in insinirum, our Idea oF their
- distinet BulKS Or Fxtension, Wrhieh is che Subject and Foundation oE Divi-
- sions, comes to be consounded, and almost lost in Obscurier. POr tat Idea,
- Wrhich is eo represene ony Bixnels, multbe very obscure and contused, rtrick
- We cannot distinguitt trom one ren times as bis, but ouly by Number:
- Co chat ehrare clear, distinet Ideas, we may laz of Pen and Onc, buE no
- distinet Ideas OF FVO TuCH FXTensiOnS.Fis plain From hence, chat when
- We talk os infinite Dirisibility oP Bod, or Extension, our distinet and clear
- Ideas are enty of Numbers: but the clear, distinst Tdeas OF FXLenSIOM, aEFOr
- Lome Prosrels of Dirision, is quite los: and of luch minure Parts, ve have
- no distinet Ldeas at all; bur it returns, as aIl our Ideas of intinite do, at
- last eo that oF Number alirars to De added; buE thereBY neveE aIOUMISLO
- any distinct Idea oF actual, infinite Parrs. Wehare, tis true, a clear Idea
- Ot Division, as olter. as e will think ofic: but thereby re hare no more
- a Elear Idea ot infinito Parrs in Matter, than e have a clear Ldea OF an in-
- finite Number, by beins able still eo acd ner Numbers to any astigred
- Number rehare: endless Divisibiliey sirine us no more a clear and di-
- Rinct Idea oF actually intinite Parrs, than eneless Addibilier (is Imay (0
- Speak) sires us a clear anddistinct idea oF an actually intinire Number:
- ther bochbeins onlr in a Porver sill of increasins theNumber, be ic alrea-
- dy 25 great as it Will. Sotharofwhar remainsto be added, (Whercin consilts
- the Tntinier, ) re have but an obleure, impertect, and contuled Idea; trom
- Or abour irhich re can argue, or reason witle no Certainer or Clcarne(S, n0
- more than re can in Arithmeticks, about a Number os wvhrich ve have no
- Tuch distinct Ldea, a5 e hare OF 4 or 400; bur onty this relative obseure
- one, that compared to anz other, it is sill bigger: and re have no more
- a clear, Politire Idea ol ic, When re lay or conceire it is bisger, or more
- than 400, 000, 000, than il re Bould lay, it is bisger than 40, Or
- 4: 4000,000, 000, havine nonearer a proportion to the end ot Addition,
- or Number, than q. For hechat adds onls 4 t0 4, and so procccds, MaI
- as soon come ro the end oF all Addition, as hethat adds 100, 000, 000, +0
- 400,000,000. Arid (o litemise in Fterriier He Fhar Ras an Idea eF but tour
- rears, has as much a polutire compleat Idea oE liternies, 25 HC that has
- onc oF 400,000, 000oF Vcars: For what remains of Fternier berond ci.
- ther ot these tro Numbers oF Vears, is as clearto the one as the otter;
- 1. e. neicher oEthem has any clear positive Ldea ot it at aII. FOr he Fat
- adds onty 4 Pears to 4 and so on, all as Toon reach Fternier, as he
- that adds 400000,000oF Vcars, and (0 on; or it he please, doubles the
- Increase as Otten as he Will: The remainins AByIS beins RiIl as tar be-
- rond the end oF all these Progrestions, as it is trom the lenothOt a DaY,
- Or aN FTOUT. For nochins Anite, bears anr proxortion co intinite; and
- thereforeour Ideas, Whichare all finire, Cannot DCaP anY. ThuS it is al.
- So in our Idea ot Fxtension, When re increase it br Addition, as ell as
- Wrtren e diminis ic by Dirision, and rould enlaros our Thoughs toin-
- Anite Space. After a Per doublinos ot those Ideas ot Extension, which are
- the larsest re are accustomed to hare, re lose the clear distinct Idea ot
- that Space: ic becomes a contusedly great onc, with a Surplus oF sill grer-
- ter; about rhich, When re rould aroue, or reason, we hall alvars find
- our sclres at a lols; consuled Ideas in our Arguinss, and Deductions tro
- Ehiem, alrass leadins us into contusion.
- CAAP.
Cite
An Essay Concerning Humane Understanding, fol. 168. Machine transcription, not an edition: Leibniz Legible (model FoNDUE-GD_v2_ft_Leibniz, run 74). https://leibnizlegible.com/page/778263916:0184?run=74