An Essay Concerning Humane Understanding, fol. 213
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The machine reads it as
- Names et Substances.
- vares oF our Bodies; ve can no ochererise distinguistr in our Conceptions
- the several Species oF Spirits, one From another, but by acrributins those
- Operations and Porvers, e find in our selves, co them; in a higher or
- loirer derree; and so hare neither distinct specitickE Ldeas ot Spirius, ex-
- cept only oF COD, tomhom We actribure borh Duration, and all thole
- ocher Ideas with Intinier; eo the ocher Spirits, with limitation, amonest
- irhich, e malce no distinction: Nor do Wve, betreen COD and them
- in our Ideas, pur anz difference by anr number of simple Ideos, Which we
- have oF one, and not of the other, buc onlr that ot Infinier. AII the par-
- ticular Ideas oF Existence, Knowledse, Will, Porer, and Motion, (5c.
- beins Ideas derived trom the Operations ol our Minds, we actribure aII
- oEehem io all sorts oF Spirits, ith the difference only ol degrees, to the
- utmost ve can imaginc, even Intinier When ve vould frame, a5. vell 20
- WWe can, an Pdea oF the Arst Being; Wrho yet, tis certain, is infinicelr more
- remore. in the real Excellener ot his Nacure, trom the hichest and per-
- fectes of all created Beings, much more from wtrat our narro Vnder-
- Pandinos can conceire ot FTim, than ehe DrCaFCA MTaH, nay, purest Se-
- raphim, is fromthe most contemptible part ot Matter.
- 5. F2. TE is not impossible to conceire, nor repugnant to Realon, that
- there mar De many Species of Spirits, as much separated and diversitied
- one trom another br distinet Properties, Wrhereotire have no Ideas, a5
- the Species ot senlible Thinss are distinguithred one trom another, by
- Oualicies, which e bno, and obserre inthem. That there Mould BC
- more Species ot intelligent Creatures above us, than there are ot senli-
- ble and material belor us, is probable to me trom henco; That in aII the
- visible corporeal WVorid, We sec no Chalms, Or CTapS. AII quire down
- FrOm uS, the descent is by easie Repo, and a continued series oF Things
- thac in cach remove, difter very little one trom the otter. There are
- Filbres that have Wings, and are noc Strangers tothe airy Region: and
- there are some Birds, that are Inhabitants of the Water; Whole Bloud is
- cold as Fistes, and their Fles in taste so near akrin, that the Scrupulous
- are allo d them on Fistr. daYS. There are AnimalS (O near OF Kin BOtH
- to Birds and Beals, that ther are in the middle betreen both: Amphi-
- bious Animals linte the Terrestrial and Aquarique tosether; Scales live
- aE Land and at Sea, and Porpoiles have ihe varm Blond and Entrails of
- an FTOS, noc to mention what is considently reported of Mermaids, or
- Sea-en. There are lome Brutes, that scem to have as much Rnomledse
- and Reason, as lome that are called Mer: and the Animal and Vegetabse
- Ringdoms, are loncarty join dthat il rou ill talle che lorrest ot onc, and
- chehisheit of the other, chere will scarce be perceived aur great diste.
- rence betreen them; and so on till e come to the lorrest and the most
- inorganical parES OF NaLEer, ive Mall find everr-WherO, that the several
- Species are liritced together, and ditter bur in almost insenlible desrees. And
- ertien re consider the infinite Porver and Wisdom oftheMater, we have
- reason to thintu, thar it is suirable ro the magnificent LParmony or the
- Vniverse, and the great Delign atid infinire Coodness of the Architect,
- Ehat the Species ot Creatures Phould alo, by sentlo deorces, alcend up.
- ward trom us tomards his intinire Perfection, as we sec ther gradually
- descend tromus downrards: Wrhich is it be probable, re have reason
- then tobe perliraded, thae there are tar more Species ol Creatures above
- us, than chere are beneath; Wre beitis, in desrees of Pertection, much
- riore remiote from the intinite Bcing OE GOD, than We are from thc
- loest ctate oF Beirs, and that Which approaches nearest tonothins. And
- vec otali chose distinet Species, sor ehe realeris above Paidi; We haveno di
- Ideas.
- diit
Cite
An Essay Concerning Humane Understanding, fol. 213. Machine transcription, not an edition: Leibniz Legible (model FoNDUE-GD_v2_ft_Leibniz, run 74). https://leibnizlegible.com/page/778263916:0229?run=74