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An Essay Concerning Humane Understanding, fol. 200

Machine transcription. Not an edition. Errors are expected: about 8% character error rate on Latin and French lines, higher on German. Mean line confidence on this page: 0.93.

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The machine reads it as

  1. Names of simple laea
  2. Mind, Which ere nerer there besore; and somalee their Natmes be un-
  3. derstood. In such Collections ot Ideas, passing under one nare, Defini-
  4. tions, or the teaching the signification oF one word, by several others, has
  5. place, and mar mahe us understand ihe Names ot Thinos, wtrich nevee
  6. carie ithin the reach ot our senses; and frame Ldeas luitable to those
  7. in other Mens Minds, Wrhen they use those Names: provided cMat
  8. none OF thC FerMS OF the Detinition Rarid for any such simple
  9. deas, erhich he to irhom the Explication is made, HaS Rever VeF
  10. had in his ThoughEs. Thus the ord scarue may be explaincd to
  11. 2 blind Nan by ocher rords, wrhen Picture cannot, his senses havine
  12. siven him the dea o Fisure, but not ofColours, Wrhich theretore Words
  13. cannor exeite in him. This sain d the Prize to the Painter, against the
  14. Statuary; cach oF Wrhieh contending for the excellener of his ArE, and
  15. the Scaruars bragsins, thar his ras to be preterred, because it reactied
  16. farther, and even those irtio had lost cheir Fres, could ret perceive che
  17. excellener oPit. The Painter aereed to reter hiimselfto the judoment of
  18. a blindMan; Whobeins broushie irhere ehere was a Scatue made by the
  19. one, and a Picture dravn by the octier; he as first led to the Statue,
  20. in irhich hetraced, rich his FTands, aII The LinCamenES OF thC FaCC and
  21. Body; and with great admiration, applauded the Strill oF the WNork-
  22. man: But being led tothe Picture, and having his Flands laid upon it, was
  23. told, Thac nom he touchedthe Hlead and thenthe Forehead, FisCs, Nole,
  24. (50. 25 his Flond moved over the Parrs oF the Dicture on the CloFh, Wwietis
  25. out findins any the least distinction: Whereupon he cried out, chat cer-
  26. cainly that must necds be a very adrirable and divine picce of Wort-
  27. manstrip, Wtich couldreprelent to them all those Parrs, irhere he could
  28. neither tce nor perceire any thinz.
  29. 5. Z3. FTe that Mould ule the ord Rainbon, 10 one Who hnew all thole
  30. Colours, Dut y et had never scen that Phaenomenon, vould, by enumeratins
  31. the Figure, Largenels, Polition, and Order of the Colours, (0 Well define
  32. that mord, chat it mishe be perfectiy understood. But vet that Definition,
  33. now exact and pertect soerer, rould never make a blind Man understand
  34. it; because several oFche simple Ldeas that makre that complex orie, beins
  35. suchas he nerer receired by Senlation and Experience, no Words are able
  36. to excitethem in his etind.
  37. 5. 24. Simple Ideas, ashasbeen Bered, can only be got by Fxperience,
  38. From those Objects irhichare proper to produce in us thole Perceptions.
  39. Irhen by this means ve have our Minds Rored ith chem, and hrow the
  40. Names Forthem, then ve are in a condition to define, and bY Dchinitionto
  41. understand theNames of complex ideas that are made up ot them. BuE
  42. ehen anx term stands for a simple Ldea, that a Man Has never vet had in
  43. his Mind, it is impossible, by any Words, to malie knomnits meanins to
  44. him: When ans term stands for an Idea a Man is acquainted with, but
  45. is isnoxane, thatthar term is the sign of ic, there anocher name, ot the
  46. the lame Fdearhich he has been accustomed eo, may malee him under-
  47. stand its meanins. But in no case Wharsoever, is any name, ot ans simple
  48. Idea, Capable oF a Detinition.
  49. Fourthly, But thouchehe Names OF simple Ideas, have not the help oE
  50. Dehinition to determine their signification; zet that hinders nor but that
  51. they are generaur less doubrful and uncertains than those of mixed Modes
  52. and Substances. Because thiey sandins only for one simple Perception,
  53. en, For the most pare, casily and pertectir agree in their signitiearion,
  54. And chere is licele room for miltatre and erranoline abour their meanins.
  55. C Fhas Hnorsonce, chat Whitenessis the name ot that Colour he has ob.
  56. served

Cite

An Essay Concerning Humane Understanding, fol. 200. Machine transcription, not an edition: Leibniz Legible (model FoNDUE-GD_v2_ft_Leibniz, run 74). https://leibnizlegible.com/page/778263916:0216?run=74