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An Essay Concerning Humane Understanding, fol. 232

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: 0.92.

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The machine reads it as

  1. Imperfection of W ords
  2. 6. 5. WV ords having naturally no signification, the Ideas Which cach
  3. Aands for, must be lcarned and retained, by thole erhro mould exehanse
  4. Thoutus, and hold incellisible Discourse with others, in any Lansiase.
  5. But ehiis is hardes to be donc, Where,
  6. First, The Ideas they Ctand For, are very complex, and made up of 2
  7. sreat number ot Laeas put together.
  8. Secondly, Where the Ideas they Rand for, have no certain connexion
  9. in Nature; and s0 no setled Standard, any; Wrhere in Nature existins, t0
  10. rectitie and adjust themby.
  11. Thiraly. Where the signification of the Word is reterred to a Standard,
  12. etich Scandard is not ealie to De known.
  13. Fourrhlr, Where che signisication oF the Nord, and the real FSsenCC OE
  14. ehe Thing, are noc exactls the same. These are difficulties chat attend
  15. the signilication of several Words that are intellisible. Thole wrhrich arc
  16. not incellisible at aIl, such as Names Canding for any simple Ideas
  17. ertrich anocher has not Orsans or Faculties to attain; as the Names oE
  18. Colours ro a blind Man, or Soundst0 a deaf Man, necd nOt here be MeN.
  19. tioned.
  20. In all these cases, we all find an impertection in Words; WrhicM L
  21. Mall more at large explain, in thoir particular application to our several
  22. Tores oF Ideas: For if ve examine them, ve Mall Find, thar the Names of
  23. mixed Modes, are most liable to doubtfulnessand imperfection, for the tvo
  24. frst of these Reasons; and the Names of Substances chiesty for the tuolatter.
  25. 6. 6. First, The Names oFmixed Modes, are mans ot ihem liable tO Great
  26. uncerraines and obscurits in cheir signitication.
  27. Y. Decause of that ereat Composition, these complex Ldeas are oltenmace
  28. up oF. To matce Words serviceable to the end of Communication is
  29. necessarr, (a5 has been said) that they excite, in the Flcarer, Cxactly the
  30. Tame Ideather stand For, in theMind ot the Speaker: Without this, Men
  31. filL one anothers FTeads ich noise and sounds; but convey not thereby
  32. their Thoughts, and lay not betore one another their Ideas, Which is che
  33. end oi Dilcourse and Lansuage. But Wrhen a word stands For a very
  34. comiplex Idea that is compounded and decompounded, it IS NOE CaTIC FO
  35. Men eotorm and retain that Idea (0 exactly, as to malce theName in
  36. common ule, stand for the lame precile Ldea, without any the least varia-
  37. tion. Elence it comes to pals, that Mens Names, ot verr compound
  38. Ideas, Tueh as Forthe most part are moral Nores, have seldom, in EWO
  39. ditterent Men, the lame precise signification; since one Mans complex
  40. Idea seldom agrees with anothers; and otten disters Froin nis OIM,
  41. From that erhich he had zesterdar, or rill HaVO EO MOTTON.
  42. 6. 7. TI. Because the Names of mixed Modes, For the most part,
  43. vant Scandards in Nature, Whereby Men mas rectisie and adjust cheir
  44. Tisnifications; therelore ther are verr various and doubrtul. Ther are
  45. allemblases oF fdeas pur tosettier at ihe pleasure ot the Mind, purtuine
  46. its omn ends ofDilcourle, and suited to irs omn Norions; Wrhereby it de
  47. Tiens nOL to copY ans thins really existins, bue to denominate and
  48. rank Thinss, as ther come toaerce, rith those ArchetrpeS Or FOrmS
  49. ie has made. FTe that Arst brouxhe the mord Sham, Whecale, or
  50. Bancer in ule, Dut together, as he thoushe Fc, thole Ideas he made
  51. ic stand POr: And as it is rith any ner Names OF MOdes, FHat are
  52. nor brouslit into any Languase; (o Was it with the old ones, When
  53. ther were Arlemade use oF. Names theretore, that Rand tor Collectione
  54. Ot Ideas, erhich the Mind maties ac pleature, must needs be ot doubetut
  55. sienisicarion, when such Collections are no-rhere ro be tound conslantiy
  56. unitce

Cite

An Essay Concerning Humane Understanding, fol. 232. Machine transcription, not an edition: Leibniz Legible (model FoNDUE-GD_v2_ft_Leibniz, run 74). https://leibnizlegible.com/page/778263916:0248?run=74