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An essay concerning human understanding

  
[frontispiece]
  
[title page]
  
To The Right Honourable Lord Thomas,
  
Epistle to the Reader

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Introduction An Essay Concerning Human Understanding
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Book I Neither Principles Nor Ideas Are Innate
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Book II Of Ideas
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Chapter I Of Ideas in general, and their Original
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Chapter II Of Simple Ideas
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Chapter III Of Simple Ideas of Sense
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Chapter IV Idea of Solidity
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Chapter V Of Simple Ideas of Divers Senses
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Chapter VI Of Simple Ideas of Reflection
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Chapter VII Of Simple Ideas of both Sensation and Reflection
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Chapter VIII Some further considerations concerning our Simple Ideas of Sensation
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Chapter IX Of Perception
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Chapter X Of Retention
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Chapter XI Of Discerning, and other operations of the Mind
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Chapter XII Of Complex Ideas
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Chapter XIII Complex Ideas of Simple Modes:--and First, of the Simple Modes of the Idea of Space
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Chapter XIV Idea of Duration and its Simple Modes
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Chapter XV Ideas of Duration and Expansion, considered together
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Chapter XVI Idea of Number
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Chapter XVII Of Infinity
  
1. Infinity, in its original intention, attributed to space, duration, and number.
  
2. The idea of finite easily got.
  
3. How we come by the idea of infinity.
  
4. Our idea of space boundless.
  
5. And so of duration.
  
6. Why other ideas are not capable of infinity.
  
7. Difference between infinity of space, and space infinite.
  
8. We have no idea of infinite space.
  
9. Number affords us the clearest idea of infinity.
  
10. Our different conceptions of the infinity of number contrasted with those of duration and expansion.
  
11. How we conceive the infinity of space.
  
12. Infinite divisibility.
  
13. No positive idea of infinity.
  
14. How we cannot have a positive idea of infinity in quantity.
  
15. What is positive, what negative, in our idea of infinite.
  
16. We have no positive idea of an infinite duration.
  
17. No complete idea of eternal being.
  
18. No positive idea of infinite space.
  
19. What is positive, what negative, in our idea of infinite.
  
20. Some think they have a positive idea of eternity, and not of infinite space.
  
21. Supposed positive ideas of infinity, cause of mistakes.
  
22. All these are modes of ideas got from sensation and reflection.
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Chapter XVIII Other Simple Modes
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Chapter XIX Of the Modes of Thinking
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Chapter XX Of Modes of Pleasure and Pain
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Chapter XXI Of Power
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Chapter XXII Of Mixed Modes
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Chapter XXIII Of our Complex Ideas of Substances
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Chapter XXIV Of Collective Ideas of Substances
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Chapter XXV Of Relation
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Chapter XXVI Of Cause and Effect, and other Relations
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Chapter XXVII Of Identity and Diversity
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Chapter XXVIII Of Other Relations
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Chapter XXIX Of Clear and Obscure, Distinct and Confused Ideas
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Chapter XXX Of Real and Fantastical Ideas
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Chapter XXXI Of Adequate and Inadequate Ideas
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Chapter XXXII Of True and False Ideas
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Chapter XXXIII Of the Association of Ideas
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Book III Of Words
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Book IV Of Knowledge and Probability

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4. Distinct and confused, what.

As a clear idea is that whereof the mind has such a full and evident perception, as it does receive from an outward object operating duly on a well-disposed organ, so a distinct idea is that wherein the mind perceives a difference from all other; and a confused idea is such an one as is not sufficiently distinguishable from another, from which it ought to be different.

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