University of Virginia Library

Search this document 
  
  
  
  

expand section 
expand section1. 
expand section2. 
collapse section3. 
expand section1. 
expand section2. 
expand section3. 
expand section4. 
collapse section5. 
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
expand section6. 
expand section7. 
expand section8. 
expand section9. 
expand section10. 
expand section11. 
expand section4. 

28. The difficulty from ill use of names.

To conclude: Whatever substance begins to exist, it must, during its existence, necessarily be the same: whatever compositions of substances begin to exist, during the union of those substances, the concrete must be the same: whatsoever mode begins to exist, during its existence it is the same: and so if the composition be of distinct substances and different modes, the same rule holds. Whereby it will appear, that the difficulty or obscurity that has been about this matter rather rises from the names ill-used, than from any obscurity in things themselves. For whatever makes the specific idea to which the name is applied, if that idea be steadily kept to, the distinction of anything into the same and divers will easily be conceived, and there can arise no doubt about it.