An Essay Concerning Humane Understanding, Volume I. | Page 8

to those several objections I have met with, to passages here
and there of my book; since I persuade myself that he who thinks them
of moment enough to be concerned whether they are true or false, will
be able to see that what is said is either not well founded, or else not
contrary to my doctrine, when I and my opposer come both to be well
understood.
If any other authors, careful that none of their good thoughts should be
lost, have published their censures of my Essay, with this honour done
to it, that they will not suffer it to be an essay, I leave it to the public to
value the obligation they have to their critical pens, and shall not waste
my reader's time in so idle or ill-natured an employment of mine, as to
lessen the satisfaction any one has in himself, or gives to others, in so
hasty a confutation of what I have written.
The booksellers preparing for the Fourth Edition of my Essay, gave me
notice of it, that I might, if I had leisure, make any additions or

alterations I should think fit. Whereupon I thought it convenient to
advertise the reader, that besides several corrections I had made here
and there, there was one alteration which it was necessary to mention,
because it ran through the whole book, and is of consequence to be
rightly understood. What I thereupon said was this:--
CLEAR and DISTINCT ideas are terms which, though familiar and
frequent in men's mouths, I have reason to think every one who uses
does not perfectly understand. And possibly 'tis but here and there one
who gives himself the trouble to consider them so far as to know what
he himself or others precisely mean by them. I have therefore in most
places chose to put DETERMINATE or DETERMINED, instead of
CLEAR and DISTINCT, as more likely to direct men's thoughts to my
meaning in this matter. By those denominations, I mean some object in
the mind, and consequently determined, i. e. such as it is there seen and
perceived to be. This, I think, may fitly be called a determinate or
determined idea, when such as it is at any time objectively in the mind,
and so determined there, it is annexed, and without variation
determined, to a name or articulate sound, which is to be steadily the
sign of that very same object of the mind, or determinate idea.
To explain this a little more particularly. By DETERMINATE, when
applied to a simple idea, I mean that simple appearance which the mind
has in its view, or perceives in itself, when that idea is said to be in it:
by DETERMINED, when applied to a complex idea, I mean such an
one as consists of a determinate number of certain simple or less
complex ideas, joined in such a proportion and situation as the mind
has before its view, and sees in itself, when that idea is present in it, or
should be present in it, when a man gives a name to it. I say SHOULD
be, because it is not every one, nor perhaps any one, who is so careful
of his language as to use no word till he views in his mind the precise
determined idea which he resolves to make it the sign of. The want of
this is the cause of no small obscurity and confusion in men's thoughts
and discourses.
I know there are not words enough in any language to answer all the
variety of ideas that enter into men's discourses and reasonings. But this

hinders not but that when any one uses any term, he may have in his
mind a determined idea, which he makes it the sign of, and to which he
should keep it steadily annexed during that present discourse. Where he
does not, or cannot do this, he in vain pretends to clear or distinct ideas:
it is plain his are not so; and therefore there can be expected nothing
but obscurity and confusion, where such terms are made use of which
have not such a precise determination.
Upon this ground I have thought determined ideas a way of speaking
less liable to mistakes, than clear and distinct: and where men have got
such determined ideas of all that they reason, inquire, or argue about,
they will find a great part of their doubts and disputes at an end; the
greatest part of the questions and controversies that perplex mankind
depending on the doubtful and uncertain use of words, or (which is the
same) indetermined ideas, which they are made to stand for. I have
made choice of these terms to signify, (1) Some immediate object of
the mind, which it perceives and has