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An Essay Concerning Humane Understanding, fol. 337

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. derrees of Asse
  2. manner, that re ich reason conclude to be the Ffects of cedd
  3. and regilar Causes, chousl ther corme not richin the reach OF Our RnOW
  4. ledse. Thus, That Firc warmed a Man, mado Lead Auic, and charsec
  5. the colour or contistenei in Wood or Charcoal: that tron lunk in Warer-
  6. and sram in Duicksilrer: These and the like Propositions about par-
  7. ticular facts, beins agrecable to our constant Experience, ai otten as ve
  8. have co do rith thele matters; and beins seneralsy spolee of, (Wrhen
  9. mentioned bi ochers,) as thinos found constanely tobe lo, and cheretore
  10. not (0 muchi as controverted by any body, ire are put palt doubt, thac a
  11. relacion aftirmins any such chins to lave been, or ans predication that
  12. it will happen again in the lame manner, is very true. Thele Probabili
  13. ties rile (onear to Cerrainty, that they governi our Thouslues as absolutelr.
  14. and induence all our Actions as tully, as the most evident demonstration;
  15. and in Wrhat concerns us, e malce litele or no ditterence beturcen them
  16. and cerrain knomlecee. And our Beliet thus grounded, riles 10 Af.
  17. Surance.
  18. 8. 7. Seconcly. The next decree of Probability is, tien LEnd by my ovri
  19. Experience, and the Aereement of all others that mention it, a thing t0
  20. be, Tor themost part, (0; and that the particular instance ot it is atte-
  21. Aed by many and undoubted Wicnesses: 2. 8. History sivins us such an ac.
  22. count otMen in alI Ages; andmy oon Experience, a5 Par as I had an op:
  23. porcunies to observe, contirmins it, thac most Men preter their private
  24. Adrantase, to the publick. IF all Hictorians tliat vrite oC Ziberius, Cay that
  25. Tiberius did (o, ic is extreamly probable. And in this cale, our ABenE
  26. has a susticient foundarion to raise it selEto à desree, Which We mas call
  27. Considence.
  28. S. 8. Thiraly, In matrers thât happen indisterent1Y; a5 thata Bird Moula
  29. Ay this or that ay; chat it Bould chunder on a Mans ristit or lese
  30. ETand, (5c. When any particular matrer of fact comes attested by ihe con-
  31. current Testimons ot unsuspected Witnesses, there our ANent is allo un-
  32. aroidable. Thus: That chere is such a Cier in Tcalr, 25 Rome: That
  33. about 2700rears a80; there lived in it a Mtan, called fulius Caesar ; FhaL
  34. he ras a General, and that he on a Battel again anothier called Pomper.
  35. This, choush inthie nature of the thing, there be nothine for, nor acainst
  36. ic; vet beins related by Historians of credit, and contradicted by no ono
  37. Writer, a Han cannot aroid belierine it, and can as little doube of it,
  38. ashe does oFtheBeins and Actions ot his omr Acquaintance, Whereothe
  39. himselF is 2 Witnels.
  40. 5. 9. Phus Par the matter soes cat enoush. Probability uxon sucH
  41. grounds carries so much evidence with it, that it naturally determines
  42. the Fudement, and leaves us as litele at liberey to beliere, or disbeliere,
  43. 2sa Demonstration does, Whether e ill knor, or beignorane. The
  44. difticuley is, When Teltimonies contradict conimon Experience, and tho
  45. report ol Eistorr and Witnesses clastres ith the ordinary course ot
  46. Nature, or trith one another; there it is, Whrere Diligence, Atrention, and
  47. Exactnels is required, to form a right sudoment, and to pproportion ehe
  48. ANent to the ditterene Fvidence and Probability oF the thins; erhick
  49. rises and falls, accordins as thole trro Foundations of Credibilitr, viz. Com-
  50. mon Obserration in like cases, and particular Festimonies in that parti-
  51. cular instance, favours or contradicts it. These are liable to (0 great va-
  52. riety of contrary Observations, Circumstances, RepOrES, difterent Oualiti
  53. cations, Tempers, Delions, Over-Sights, (5C. OF the ROPOrTErS, EaF Fis
  54. impohible to reduceto precile Rules, the various degrees wherein Nen
  55. sive cheis Asent. Zhis orty may be said in general, THat as che ArCu-
  56. MEAES

Cite

An Essay Concerning Humane Understanding, fol. 337. Machine transcription, not an edition: Leibniz Legible (model FoNDUE-GD_v2_ft_Leibniz, run 74). https://leibnizlegible.com/page/778263916:0353?run=74