An Essay Concerning Humane Understanding, Volume II.

An Essay Concerning Humane
Understanding,
by John Locke

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Understanding,
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Title: An Essay Concerning Humane Understanding, Volume II.
MDCXC, Based on the 2nd Edition, Books III. and IV. (of 4)
Author: John Locke
Release Date: January 6, 2004 [EBook #10616]
Language: English
Character set encoding: ASCII
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UNDERSTANDING, V2 ***

Produced by Steve Harris and David Widger

AN ESSAY CONCERNING HUMAN UNDERSTANDING
BY
JOHN LOCKE
[Based on the 2d Edition] CONTENTS OF THE SECOND VOLUME
BOOK III. OF WORDS.
CHAP.
I. OF WORDS OR LANGUAGE IN GENERAL II. OF THE
SIGNIFICATION OF WORDS III. OF GENERAL TERMS IV. OF
THE NAMES OF SIMPLE IDEAS V. OF THE NAMES OF MIXED
MODES AND RELATIONS VI. OF THE NAMES OF
SUBSTANCES VII. OF PARTICLES VIII. OF ABSTRACT AND
CONCRETE TERMS IX. OF THE IMPERFECTION OF WORDS X.
OF THE ABUSE OF WORDS XI. OF THE REMEDIES OF THE
FOREGOING IMPERFECTION AND ABUSES
BOOK IV. OF KNOWLEDGE AND PROBABILITY.
CHAP.
I. OF KNOWLEDGE IN GENERAL II. OF THE DEGREES OF OUR
KNOWLEDGE III. OF THE EXTENT OF HUMAN KNOWLEDGE
IV. OF THE REALITY OF OUR KNOWLEDGE V. OF TRUTH IN
GENERAL VI. OF UNIVERSAL PROPOSITIONS: THEIR TRUTH
AND CERTAINTY VII. OF MAXIMS VIII. OF TRIFLING
PROPOSITIONS IX. OF OUR THREEFOLD KNOWLEDGE OF
EXISTENCE X. OF OUR KNOWLEDGE OF THE EXISTENCE OF
A GOD XI. OF OUR KNOWLEDGE OF THE EXISTENCE OF
OTHER THINGS XII. OF THE IMPROVEMENT OF OUR
KNOWLEDGE XIII. SOME OTHER CONSIDERATIONS
CONCERNING OUR KNOWLEDGE XIV. OF JUDGMENT XV. OF
PROBABILITY XVI. OF THE DEGREES OF ASSENT XVII. OF
REASON [AND SYLLOGISM] XVIII. OF FAITH AND REASON,

AND THEIR DISTINCT PROVINCES XIX. [OF ENTHUSIASM]
XX. OF WRONG ASSENT, OR ERROR XXI. OF THE DIVISION
OF THE SCIENCES

BOOK III
OF WORDS
CHAPTER I.
OF WORDS OR LANGUAGE IN GENERAL.
1. Man fitted to form articulated Sounds.
God, having designed man for a sociable creature, made him not only
with an inclination, and under a necessity to have fellowship with those
of his own kind, but furnished him also with language, which was to be
the great instrument and common tie of society. Man, therefore, had by
nature his organs so fashioned, as to be fit to frame articulate sounds,
which we call words. But this was not enough to produce language; for
parrots, and several other birds, will be taught to make articulate
sounds distinct enough, which yet by no means are capable of
language.
2. To use these sounds as Signs of Ideas.
Besides articulate sounds, therefore, it was further necessary that he
should be able to use these sounds as signs of internal conceptions; and
to make them stand as marks for the ideas within his own mind,
whereby they might be made known to others, and the thoughts of
men's minds be conveyed from one to another.
3. To make them general Signs.
But neither was this sufficient to make words so useful as they ought to
be. It is not enough for the perfection of language, that sounds can be
made signs of ideas, unless those signs can be so made use of as to

comprehend several particular things: for the multiplication of words
would have perplexed their use, had every particular thing need of a
distinct name to be signified by. [To remedy this inconvenience,
language had yet a further improvement in the use of GENERAL
TERMS, whereby one word was made to mark a multitude of particular
existences: which advantageous use of sounds was obtained only by the
difference of the ideas they were made signs of: those names becoming
general, which are made to stand for GENERAL IDEAS, and those
remaining particular, where the IDEAS they are used for are
PARTICULAR.]
4. To make them signify the absence of positive Ideas.
Besides these names which stand for ideas, there be other words which
men make use of, not to signify any idea, but the want or absence of
some ideas, simple or complex, or all ideas together; such as are NIHIL
in Latin, and in English, IGNORANCE and BARRENNESS. All which
negative or privative words cannot be said properly to belong to, or
signify no ideas: for then they would be perfectly insignificant sounds;
but they relate to positive ideas, and signify their absence.
5. Words ultimately derived from such as signify sensible Ideas.
It may also lead us a little towards the original of all our notions and
knowledge, if