An Essay Concerning Humane Understanding, fol. 320
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: 0.91.
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The machine reads it as
- nomledre of Existence ot other Thines. B00kIV
- cal demonstrations depend not upon senle, ret che examinine them by
- Diaerams, sires great credit tothie Fridence ot our sighe, and seems to give
- it a Certaints approachins to that ot the Demonstration it selF. For it
- erould De verr Pranse, that a Blan Mould allor it for an undeniablo
- Fruch, that tro Angles oFa Fisure, wrhich he meatures by Lines and
- Ancles oFa Diagram, Mould be biscer one tham the otter; and vet
- doubt of the Existence oF thole Lines and Angles, Which by loolins on
- hemakies ule oF to meature that by.
- 8. 7. Fourthly, Our Senses, in mans cales, bear itness to the Truthof
- each others report, concernins the F.Xistence ot sensible Thinas Without
- US. Fse that sees a Fire, maz, it he doubt wrhether it be anr thino more
- than a bare Fancz, fecl it t0o; and be convinced, by purtins tiis Eland
- in ic. Which certainly could never de put into such exquisice vain, by
- a bare Idea or Phancom, unless that the pain be a fancy 100: Which
- vet hecannor, Wrhen the Burnis vell, by railins the Idea ol it, bring upon
- himseleagain.
- Thus (sce, Whils Perrite this, P can chanse the Appearance of the
- Paxer; and by delignins the Letrers, tell belore hand irhar nem Idea
- it Ball exhibit che very next moment, barely by my dravins the Pen
- over ic: Which will neither appear (let me fansie a5 mucr a5 I WilI) it
- iny FTandCtandCill, or thoushl movemy Pen, il my Fresbe Mut: Nor
- When thole Characters are once made on the Paper, can lchule alter-
- vards but see themas thez are; thar is, have the Ideas oF (uch L CtFOrS aS
- Phave made. Whence it is manisest, that thes are not bavels the SpOrt
- andPlas oF my omnimagination, wrhen I find, that the Characters FhaE
- vere made at the pleasure ofmy omn Thousts, do not ober them; nOx
- vet cease to De, Whenerer l Thalltanlie ic, but continue to atteet mr Sen-
- les constantls and regularir, accordins rothe Figures I made them. T0
- ertrich if ire irill add, chat the sight oFthose Mall, trom anocher Man, dra
- such Sounds, as Pbetore hand design ther MalI Aand For, there will De
- litrle reason lese to doube, that thole Nords, Prrire, do really exist without
- me, When ther cause a lons series ol regular Councis to aAect my Pars,
- prhich could not bethe efect ofmy imagination, nor could my Memors
- retain them in that order.
- 5. 8. But yet il aster all this, anz one will be s0 scepticalas to distrust
- his Senses, arid to afirm, that aIl me sec and hear, seel and taste, thinke
- and do, durins our rhole Beins, is but the series and deludire appea-
- rances oFa lons Dream, Whereot there is no reality; and cheretore wilt
- queltion the Fxistence ol all Thines, or our Hnowledse ot any thins: I
- rust delire huim to consider, chiat il all be a Dream, ihen he doch bue
- dream that he makres the Ouestion; and so it is not much matrer eliat a
- Man Mould ansiver. But zec, it he please, he may dream thar I malie this
- ansiver, Thac the certainty of Thinss existins in rerum Natura, wrtien We
- have the testimony ef our Senses Por it, is noronly as creat a5 our trame
- can attain to, but as our Condirion needs. For our Faculties beine luited not
- 1o the tull extent ot Beins, nor 1d a perteet, clear comprehentive lnomledoe
- OFchinss, tree trom all doube and scruple; buerorhe preserration ot us in,
- wrhiom thiey are; and accommodated ro the use of Lite: they serve to
- our purpose ell enoush, il ther rill bur sire us cerrain notice of thole
- Thines, Whichere convenient or inconvenient to us. Por he that sces 2
- Candle burning, and liath experimented the force oFits Flame, Dy Puttins
- his Finger in iE, Wils lictle doube, thac ehis is somethinss existino withoue
- him, Whick docs him harm, and purs him togreat pain; Whichis alturence
- cnoush, ulien no Man reguires ercater certaines io gorem hiis Actions
Cite
An Essay Concerning Humane Understanding, fol. 320. Machine transcription, not an edition: Leibniz Legible (model FoNDUE-GD_v2_ft_Leibniz, run 74). https://leibnizlegible.com/page/778263916:0336?run=74