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An essay concerning human understanding

  
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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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Book III Of Words
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Book IV Of Knowledge and Probability
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Chapter I Of Knowledge in General
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Chapter II Of the Degrees of our Knowledge
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Chapter III Of the Extent of Human Knowledge
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Chapter IV Of the Reality of Knowledge
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Chapter V Of Truth in General
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Chapter VI Of Universal Propositions: their Truth and Certainty
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Chapter VII Of Maxims
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Chapter VIII Of Trifling Propositions
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Chapter IX Of our Threefold Knowledge of Existence
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Chapter X Of our Knowledge of the Existence of a God
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Chapter XI Of our Knowledge of the Existence of Other Things
  
1. Knowledge of the existence of other finite beings is to be had only by actual sensation.
  
2. Instance: whiteness of this paper.
  
3. This notice by our senses, though not so certain as demonstration, yet may be called knowledge, and proves the existence of things without us.
  
4. Confirmed by concurrent reasons:--First, because we cannot have ideas of sensation but by the inlet of the senses.
  
5. Secondly, Because we find that an idea from actual sensation, and another from memory, are very distinct perceptions.
  
6. Thirdly, because pleasure or pain, which accompanies actual sensation, accompanies not the returning of those ideas without the external objects.
  
7. Fourthly, because our senses assist one another's testimony of the existence of outward things, and enable us to predict.
  
8. This certainty is as great as our condition needs.
  
9. But reaches no further than actual sensation.
  
10. Folly to expect demonstration in everything.
  
11. Past existence of other things is known by memory.
  
12. The existence of other finite spirits not knowable, and rests on faith.
  
13. Only particular propositions concerning concrete existences are knowable.
  
14. And all general propositions that are known to be true concern abstract ideas.
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Chapter XII Of the Improvement of our Knowledge
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Chapter XIII Some Further Considerations Concerning our Knowledge
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Chapter XIV Of Judgment
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Chapter XV Of Probability
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Chapter XVI Of the Degrees of Assent
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Chapter XVII Of Reason
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Chapter XVIII Of Faith and Reason, and their Distinct Provinces
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Chapter XIX Of Enthusiasm
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Chapter XX Of Wrong Assent, or Error
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Chapter XXI Of the Division of the Sciences

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8. Remedies.

To remedy the defects of speech before mentioned to some degree, and to prevent the inconveniences that follow from them, I imagine the observation of these following rules may be of use, till somebody better able shall judge it worth his while to think more maturely on this matter, and oblige the world with his thoughts on it.

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