Skip directly to:Main content Main navigation

University of Virginia Library

An essay concerning human understanding

To The Right Honourable Lord Thomas,

Epistle to the Reader

Introduction An Essay Concerning Human Understanding

collapse section

1.

Book I Neither Principles Nor Ideas Are Innate

1.

Chapter I No Innate Speculative Principles.

collapse section

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

collapse section

Collapse All | Expand All expand section

17. Words and species.

I have mentioned this here, because I think we cannot be too cautious that words and species, in the ordinary notions which we have been used to of them, impose not on us. For I am apt to think therein lies one great obstacle to our clear and distinct knowledge, especially in reference to substances: and from thence has risen a great part of the difficulties about truth and certainty. Would we accustom ourselves to separate our contemplations and reasonings from words, we might in a great measure remedy this inconvenience within our own thoughts: but yet it would still disturb us in our discourse with others, as long as we retained the opinion, that species and their essences were anything else but our abstract ideas (such as they are) with names annexed to them, to be the signs of them.