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An Essay Concerning Humane Understanding, fol. 305

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. Mlaxims.
  2. From others; about wtrich, e cannot be mistakren erhilst thei arc in ou
  3. Minds, thoush e mar, and otten are miltalcen, wrhen ve recain the
  4. Namestrithout the Ideas; or ule them contusecly, Cometimes For one, and
  5. fometimes for another Edea. In Wrhich cales, the torce oP these Axioms
  6. reachins only eo the Soune, and not the sionfication of tlic WN ords, serves
  7. onty tolead usinto Contusion, Mistalce, and Prrour.
  8. S FF Bur let thembe oFehatuse thez will in verbal Propositions, ttiey
  9. cannot discover or prove tous the least Hnomledse of the Nature oF sub:
  10. stances, is eher are tound and exist without us, any larther than grounded
  11. on Experience. And chough che consequence of these imo Propositions,
  12. called Principles, be veri clear, and their ule nor very dangerous, or
  13. hurctul, inthe probation oF such Things, irherein chere is tio need at aII
  14. OF Cheri FOr prooF, but such as are clear by themselves ithiour item, viz.
  15. where oux Ideas are clear and distinct, and lenomn by the Names FaE
  16. Aand For them; Vet when these Principles, viz. What i5, is; and, It is im-
  17. possible for the same thine zo be, and not to be, are made use of in the pro-
  18. bation of Proposicions; Wvherein are Words standine for complex Ideas; V.
  19. Blan, HTorse, Gold, Vertue; there they are of insinite dancer, and molt
  20. commonly make Nen receive and retain Falshood for manilest Pruth, and
  21. Incertainer for Demonstration; upon which follors Frrour, Obltinaey
  22. and all etie mischriets that ean happen trom vrone realonino. The reg:
  23. Con Whereof is net, that thele Principles are lels erue in such Propositions,
  24. consistino oF Words Candine for complex ideas, than in thole ot simple
  25. deas. But Becaule Men mistatre generally, thinkins such Propositions
  26. tobe abourthe realier ol Things, and not the bare signitication of Words
  27. Wtien indecdthties are, For che mole part, nochins elle, as is clear in the
  28. demonstration ot Vacuum, ivhere tho word Body, Pometimes Rands FOr
  29. One Idea, and Cometimes For another: Bur thall be vet madle more inz.
  30. nifest.
  31. 6. 16. As Forinstance: Let Man bethat, concernihe irtrich vou vould
  32. by chese trst Principles demonstrare any chins, and we Mail sec, chac (0
  33. Tar as demonstration is by these Principles, it is onty verbal, and sires us
  34. nocertain universal true Propolition, or lnomledsc of any Beins exiltinio;
  35. Writhout us. First, a Child havins tramed the Idea ot a Man, it is pro-
  36. bable; thet his ldea is just litre that picture, Which the Painter matres oE
  37. the vilible appearances joined together; and luch a coriplerion ot Ideas
  38. torottier in liis Onderstandins, matces ux the sinele complex Idea Whieh
  39. he calls Man, Whereof Whire or Flestr. colour in fincland beinq one, the
  40. Child can demonstrare to rou, thac a Negro is noc a Mar, Because White-
  41. colour vas oneof the constant simple Ideas et the complex Idea he calls
  42. Mani and theretore he can demonstrate by the Principle, ie is impossible for
  43. the same Thingto be, and not to besthat a Neoro is not a Mans ehie Foundation
  44. oFhis Certainty beins not that universal Proposition, Whieh, perhaps, he
  45. never heard nor thoughe ot, but the clear distinet perception he hath ot
  46. his onn simple Ldeas ot Black arid White; Wrtricli he carinot be persuaded
  47. totalie, nor cariever mistatre, one for another, Whether he bnows that
  48. Maxim, or no: And tochis Child, or ans ore wrho hath sueh an Idea
  49. Wtich he calls Man, Cari s’ou never demonstrate that a Man hath a Soul,
  50. because his Idea oF Nan includes no such Notion or Idea in it: And
  51. therelore ro him, the Principle of What is, is, proves not thismattor; but
  52. it depends uxon Collection and Obserration, by Whieh he is to mate his
  53. complex Ldea called Man.

Cite

An Essay Concerning Humane Understanding, fol. 305. Machine transcription, not an edition: Leibniz Legible (model FoNDUE-GD_v2_ft_Leibniz, run 74). https://leibnizlegible.com/page/778263916:0321?run=74