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An essay concerning human understanding

To The Right Honourable Lord Thomas,

Epistle to the Reader

Introduction An Essay Concerning Human Understanding

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1.

Book I Neither Principles Nor Ideas Are Innate

1.

Chapter I No Innate Speculative Principles.

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2.

Chapter II No Innate Practical Principles

1. No moral principles so clear and so generally received as the forementioned speculative maxims.

2. Faith and justice not owned as principles by all men.

3. Objection: "though men deny them in their practice, yet they admit them in their thoughts," answered.

4. Moral rules need a proof, ergo not innate.

5. Instance in keeping compacts.

6. Virtue generally approved, not because innate, but because profitable.

7. Men's actions convince us that the rule of virtue is not their internal principle.

8. Conscience no proof of any innate moral rule.

9. Instances of enormities practised without remorse.

10. Men have contrary practical principles.

11. Whole nations reject several moral rules.

12. The generally allowed breach of a rule, proof that it is not innate.

13. If men can be ignorant of what is innate, certainty is not described by innate principles.

14. Those who maintain innate practical principles tell us not what they are.

15. Lord Herbert's innate principles examined.

16. These five either not all, or more than all, if there are any.

17. The supposed marks wanting.

18. Of little use if they were innate.

19. Scarce possible that God should engrave principles in words of uncertain meaning.

20. Objection, "innate principles may be corrupted," answered.

21. Contrary principles in the world.

22. How men commonly come by their principles.

23. Principles supposed innate because we do not remember when we began to hold them.

24. How such principles come to be held.

25. Further explained.

26. A worship of idols.

27. Principles must be examined.

3.

Chapter III Other considerations concerning Innate Principles, both Speculative and Practical

2.

Book II Of Ideas

3.

Book III Of Words

4.

Book IV Of Knowledge and Probability

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17. Influence of association on intellectual habits.

Intellectual habits and defects this way contracted, are not less frequent and powerful, though less observed. Let the ideas of being and matter be strongly joined, either by education or much thought; whilst these are still combined in the mind, what notions, what reasonings, will there be about separate spirits? Let custom from the very childhood have joined figure and shape to the idea of God, and what absurdities will that mind be liable to about the Deity? Let the idea of infallibility be inseparably joined to any person, and these two constantly together possess the mind; and then one body in two places at once, shall unexamined be swallowed for a certain truth, by an implicit faith, whenever that imagined infallible person dictates and demands assent without inquiry.