An Essay Concerning Humane Understanding, fol. 327
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.
Original at the GWLB · Page image · Annotations (IIIF) · Download text
The machine reads it as
- Improvement of Knomledz
- Experiments and Iristorical Observations, e may have, trom Wrhictr
- may dram Adrantases oF Fase and flealth, andthereby increale our locke
- Ot Conveniences lor this Lite; buc berond this, our Talents reach nOt,
- our Faculcies CannOt attaim.
- D. Fr. From Wrhence it isobrious to conclude, that lince our Paculties
- are noc tuced to venetrate inco the internal Fabrick andreal FPences OFBO-
- dies; Dur yet plainly discover to us the Beins of a Crod; and the RnOW.
- ledse of our sclves, enovoh to lead us into a full and clear discovery ot
- our Duty, and great Concernment, it Will become us, 25 rational Crea-
- tures, toemploy our Faculties about what thes are most adopred to, and
- tollorr the direction ol Nature, irhere it seems to point us out the ray.
- For tis rational to conclude, that our proper imploymene lics in thole
- tinquiries, and in thar sore oF Rnomledse, which is most suited to our
- natural Capacities, and carries in it our grearest intere(c, i. e. the Condirion
- Ot our eternal Ellate: and theretore it is, I think, that Morality is the pro-
- per Science, and Business of Mantind in general, (Who ore both concer-
- ned, and Cicced to scarch out their Summum Bonum,) 25 several ArtS COn
- versant about several parrs of Nature, are the Lot and private Talent ot
- particular Men, For the common Convenience ofhumane Lito, and their
- oon particular Sublictence in this Worid. OP erhar Consequence the dis-
- corery ot onc natural Body, and ies Properties may be to humane Lite,
- chewhole sreat Continent ol america is a convincins instance; whole
- Tonorance in uscsul ArtS, and rant ol the greatest part of the Convenien-
- cies ot Lite, in a C ounery thac abounded wich all soris ol natural elener.
- Ichinls, may be actributed ro their Pgnorance, of irhrat as to be found in
- a very ordinary despicable stone, I mean the Mineral oF Tron. And
- Wrhatever re thinke ot our Paris or Improvements in this parc of the Worla,
- Where Hnon ledse and Plenty seem to vie cachrith ortier; vettoany one
- that will serioussy reftect on it, I suppose, it will appear past doube, thar
- rere che use oEtron lost amons us, e pould in a ser ABCs be unavOI
- dibly reducedto the Wants and Ignorance of the ancient lavase ameriu
- cans, Whole natural Fndomments and Provisions, come no ray Mort et
- those oFthe most Aouristrins and polite Notions. S0 thar he irho first
- made knoun theuse of that one contemptible Mincral, may be truly Ay led
- ehe Father ot Arts, and Author ofPlener.
- 5. 12. Tvould nor therefore be thoughe to dil esteem, or dissuade the
- Siudr of Nature. Preadily agrec the Contempletion oF his Norks sives
- us occasion to admire, revere, aud oloritie chieir Author: andit rixhlv
- directed, may be of greater benesit to Markind, than the Monuments ot
- exemplary Charity, that have at (0 sreat Charse been raised, by chetoun.
- ders ofFrospitals and AIms.houses. He thac tirst invented Printins; dil-
- corcredthe Vse of the Compals; or made publicls the Virtue and rixtu
- LIC OF Rin Rina; did morefor the propasation ol Hnomledge, tor the
- nequilition oF Conveniencies oFLite; and lavedmore trom the Crrave, than
- those whio buile Colleges, Workehouses, and FPospitals. AII that Prould
- LaY, is, that We Pould not be t00 formardls possessed wich che Opinion,
- or Expectation ot Hnomledse, where it is not to be had; or by Ways.
- chat ill not attain it: That we Mould noc tatre doubitul Systems, for
- compleat sciences; nor unintellisible Notions, For scientifical Demon-
- strations. In the Hnow ledseof Bodies, ve must be content to glean irhat
- ne can trom particular sixperiments, since e cannot trom a Discovery
- of their real E. sences, srasp at a time wrhole Sticares; and in bundles, com-
- prehend the Nacure and Properties of whole Species together. Where Du
- Enquirus is concernins Co exiltence, or Repuenanes io co exist; Whietu
Cite
An Essay Concerning Humane Understanding, fol. 327. Machine transcription, not an edition: Leibniz Legible (model FoNDUE-GD_v2_ft_Leibniz, run 74). https://leibnizlegible.com/page/778263916:0343?run=74