An Essay Concerning Humane Understanding, fol. 235
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
- Imperfection of I
- nos betenoin all or ean be tnoon bat imperfectly and uncertainty
- 6. T2. The Names of Substances have, as lias been Mevec, a double re-
- ference in eheir ordinary ule.
- First, Sometimes ther are made to stand Por, and (o their significarion
- is suppoled to acree to, the real consticution of Thines, trom Wtrich alI
- their Properries Ro, and in Which thes alt centre. But this real Con-
- Hiturion, Or (as it is apt to be called) Essence, beins ueteris untenomn to
- US, any Sound chat is pur to Ctand for it, mult be very uncertain in its
- application; and it will be impossible to lnow whar Things are, or oughe
- to be called an FTorse, or Antimony, Wrhien those Words are put For real
- Esences, tltat e have no Idea oFat all. And cheretore in this suppos.
- tion, theNames oF Substances Beins, reterred in Srandards chat cannor
- betnoun, cheir significations can never be adjulted and eltablittied by
- chose Standards.
- 8. 22. Secondly. The simple Ideas that are Found to co exist in Substances,
- being thar which their Names immediarels signitse, thele, as uniced inthe
- several Sorrs oF Things, are the proper Siandards to which cheir Names
- are reterred, and by Wrhich cheir Signitications may best be rectitied. But
- neither will chele Archetyres (0 Well serve ro this purvole, 45 to leave
- these Names Without very various and uncertain signitications; hecause
- these simple Pdeas thac co exist, and are united in the lame Subjeet, beins
- very numerous, and havins all an equal ristit ro 80 into the complex
- Specitick Ldea, Which the specifick Name is toctand for, Men, thoust
- ther purpole co themselres the very same subject io contider, y et trae
- very disterent sdeas aboutit; and (0 the Name ther use Por it, unavoi-
- dably comes to have, in several Men, very different significarions. The
- Simple Dualities, Wrhich malce up the complex Ideas, beins most ol them
- Porvers, in relation to Changes thes are apt ro male in, or receive trom
- Other Bodies, are almost intinite. FIc that Mall but observe, ni hat a great
- variety ot alterations any one ot the baser Metals is apt to receive, from
- ehe different epplication only ofFire; and ho mucli a GrCater nUIMBEF
- oF Changes any of ehem ill receire in the hands or a Chynict, by che
- application ol other Bodies, will nor thins it Aranse, that lcount the
- Proverties ot any sore ot Bodies noc calie 10 be collected, and Com.
- plecely lnoun by chc nazs ol enquiry, tucta our Faculties are ca
- pable oE. They beins cheresore ac least so mans, chac no Man can
- lnom ehe precise and detinite number, chey dre ditterenes discove
- red by ditterent Men, accordins io cheir various still; accention, and
- wars ot hancline; Wrhio cheretore cannor chule bue have diferent Y.
- deas oF the lame Substance, and theretore male rhe Cignitieation of
- is common Name very various and uncertain. For the complex Ideas
- et Subllances, being made up of such simple ones as are suppoled eo
- co exict in Nature, every onc has a risht 1o put into his complex ldea,
- chose Oualiries he has Found to be united. together. For thoush in che
- Substance Gold, one latisties himself rith Colour and WeighE, Vet aBO-
- ther thinks Solubilier in 49. Recia, as neceltary to be join d With Fhat CO.
- lour inhis deaot Cold, asany one does its Fusibiliez; Solubilier in ag. regia,
- Deins a Oualier as constantly join d rith its Colour and Weiohe, aS FusI-
- bility, or any ocher; others put in its Dustility or Fixedness, oc. as cher have
- been taughr by Tradition, or Experience. Who ol allthele, has establi-
- Med the riohr signification ot the word Cold: Or Wrho hall De the sudee
- eo derermine: Fach has his Srandard in Nature, Which he appealsto, and
- rich Reason thinles he has che lame righe to pur into his complex idea-
- sienitied by chie nord ciold, chole ualicies, etrich upon crial hetrae
- toune
Cite
An Essay Concerning Humane Understanding, fol. 235. Machine transcription, not an edition: Leibniz Legible (model FoNDUE-GD_v2_ft_Leibniz, run 74). https://leibnizlegible.com/page/778263916:0251?run=74