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An essay concerning human understanding

  
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[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
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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
  
1. Truth and falsehood properly belong to propositions, not to ideas.
  
2. Ideas and words may be said to be true, inasmuch as they really are ideas and words.
  
3. No idea, as an appearance in the mind, either true or false.
  
4. Ideas referred to anything extraneous to them may be true or false.
  
5. Other men's ideas; real existence; and supposed real essences, are what men usually refer their ideas to.
  
6. The cause of such reference.
  
7. Names of things supposed to carry in them knowledge of their essences.
  
8. How men suppose that their ideas must correspond to things, and to the customary meanings of names.
  
9. Simple ideas may be false, in reference to others of the same name, but are least liable to be so.
  
10. Ideas of mixed modes most liable to be false in this sense.
  
11. Or at least to be thought false.
  
12. And why.
  
13. As referred to real existence, none of our ideas can be false but those of substances.
  
14. Simple ideas in this sense not false, and why.
  
15. Though one man's idea of blue should be different from another's.
  
16. Simple ideas can none of them be false in respect of real existence.
  
17. Modes not false cannot be false in reference to essences of things.
  
18. Ideas of substances may be false in reference to existing things.
  
19. Truth or falsehood always supposes affirmation or negation.
  
20. Ideas in themselves neither true nor false.
  
21. But are false--when judged agreeable to another man's idea, without being so.
  
22. When judged to agree to real existence, when they do not.
  
23. When judged adequate, without being so.
  
24. When judged to represent the real essence.
  
25. Ideas, when called false.
  
26. More properly to be called right or wrong.
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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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22. When judged to agree to real existence, when they do not.

(2) When it having a complex idea made up of such a collection of simple ones as nature never puts together, it judges it to agree to a species of creatures really existing; as when it joins the weight of tin to the colour, fusibility, and fixedness of gold.

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