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Show It No innate Principles in tbe Mind. Book I. and then to Propofitions, made in fuch Terms, whofe lignification ~··e have Jeamt, and wherein the Agre~mentor Difagreementwe ~n perceive in our Ideo's, when put together, IS cxprelfed, we at firfi heanng aiTent; though to other Propolitions, in themfelves as certam and evident, but which are cortcerning Uea's, not fo foort nor ealily got, we are at the fame time no way capable of alfemmg .. For though a Cluld quickly af. fent to this Propolition, That a~ Apple rs not Frr~; when,by fam~liar Acquaintance, he has got the Ideas of thofe two diiTerent thmgs difimCl:Jy imprinted on his Mind, and has learnt that the Names Applt and Fir' fiand for them: yet, it will be fame years after~ perhaps, before the fame Child will alfent to this Propoliuon, lbat rt rs "npojihle for rbe fame tbing to be and not to !;e. Becaufe, that though, perhaps, the Words are as ealie to 'be learnt : yet, the lignification of them, being more large, comprehenlive, and abfiratt, than ?f the Names annexed to thofe fen ft. ble rhings, the Cluld hath to do With, .It IS lo~ger before he lenr~s the~r precife meaning, and it reqmres more tu~e plamly to form 10 Ius Mind thofe general Idea's, they fiand for. Till that be done, you will in vain endeavour to make any Cluld aiTent to a Propolit10n, made up of fuch general Terms: But as foon as ever he has got thofe Idea's,and learn'd their Names he forwardly clofes with the one, as well as the other of the forcmention~d Propolitions; and with both for the fame Reafon; (viz.) becaufc he finds the Idea's he has in his Mind, to agree or difagree, occording as the Wordsfiandingfor them, ~reaffirmed, or denied one of another in the Propolitton. But tfPropolitions be brought to him 10 Words, which ftand for Idea's he has not yet in his Mind: to fuch Propolitions, however evidently true or falfe in themfel ves, he affords neither aiTent nor diiTent but is ignorant. For Words, being but empty founds, any farther tha~ they are ligns of our Idea's, we cannot but alfent to them, as they correfpond to thofe Idea's we have, but no farther than that. But the fhewing by what Steps and Ways Knowledge comes into our Minds, and the grounds of feveral degrees of a !Tent, bemg the Bulinefs of the followingDifcourfe, it may fuflice to have only touched on it here, as one Reafon, that made me doubt of thofe innate Principles. 9. ~4· To conclude this Argument of un!verfal Confem, I agree with thcfe Defenders of innate Principles; That tf they are innate, they mu!l: needs baV< univerfal affent. For that a Truth lhould be innate, and yet not alfented to, is to me as unintelligible, as fora Man to know a Truth, and be ignorant of it at the fame time. But then, by thefc Men's own Confellion, they cannot be innate; Iince they are not aiTented to, by thofe who under!l:and not the Terms, nor by a great part of thofe who do underftand them, but have yet never heard, nor thought ofthofePropolitions ; which I think, is at Ieafi one half of Mankind. But were the Number far lefs, it would be enough to dellroy univerfal aiTent, and thereby fhew thefe Propolitions not to be innate, if Children alone were ignorant of them. 9. ~5· But that I may not be accufed, to argue from the thoughts of Infants, which are unknown to us , and to conclude, from what polfes in their Underftandings, before thev exprefs it; I fay next, That thefe two general Propolitions are not the ·Truths, that (irfl pof!efs the Minds of Children ; nor are antecedent to all acquired, and adventitious Notions: which if they were innate, they muft needs be. Whether we can determine it or no, it matters not , there is certainly a time, when Children begin to think, and their Words and Actions do affure us, that they do fu. When therefore they are capable of Thought, of Knowledge, of Af. fcnt, • ~hap. ii. No innate Principles in 'the Mi11d. fent, can it rationally be fuppofed, they can be ignorant of thofc Notions that Nature has imprinted, were there any fuch? Oln it be imagin'd, with any appearance of Reafbn, That they perceive the Impreflions froni things without ; and be at the fame time ignorant of thofe Characters, which Nature it fclf has taken core to ftampwith in~ Can they receive and aiTent to adventitious Notions, and be ignorant of thofe, which are fuppofed woven into the very Principles of their Being, and imprinted d1ere in indelible Characters, to be the Foundation, and Guide of all their acquired Knowledge, and future Reafonings? This would be, to make Nature take Pains to no Purpofe; Or, at lea!l:, to write very ill; Iince its Chara&ers could not be read by thofe Eyes, which faw other things very well ; and thofe are very ill fuppofed the clearcfi parts of Truth, and the Foundations of all our !\now ledge, which are not firft known, and without which, the undoubted !tRow ledge of feveral other things may be had . The Child certainly knows, that the NNrfe that feeds it, is neither the Cat it plays with, nor the Blackmoor it is afraid of; That the Worm feed or Mgflard it refufcs, is not the Apple or S•gar it cries for: this it is certoinly and undoubtc<lly alfured of: But will any one loy,it is by Virtue of this Principle, 7/;.,t it is impoffrble for the fame thing to h, and not to 6e that it fo firmly offents to thefe, arid other parts of its Rno.vledge ! 0; that the Child hos any Notion or Apprehenlion of that Propofition at art A:ge, wherein yet 'tis plain, it knows a great many other Truths 1 He that will fay, Children join thefe general abllratt Speculations with their fucking Bottles, and their Rattles, may,perhaps, with Ju!l:ice be thought to have more Paffion and Zeal for his Opinion; but lcfsSincerity and Truth, than one of that Age. , · §. 26. Though therefore there be feveral general Propolitions, that meet with confiant and ready alfent, as Coon as propofed to Men grown up, who have attained the ufe of more general and abfiratt Idea's, and Nomes !l:anding for them : yet they not being to be found in thofe of tender Years, who neverthelefs know other things, they cannot pretend to univerfal a/lent of intelligent Perfons, and fo by no means can be fuppofed innate : It being impoffible, that any Truth which is innate (if there were any fuch) fhould be unknown, at leaft to any one, who knows any thing elfe. Since,if they are innate Truths,they mu!l:be innate thoughts: there being nothing a Truth in the Mind, that it has never thought on. Whereby it is evident, if there be any innate Trutbs, they m•flnece(Ji~rily h the jirjl of any tbo•gbt 011; the firlt that appear there. §. 27. That the general Maxims, we arc difcourling of, are not known to Children, Jdeots, and a great part of Mankind, we have already fnlli• ciently proved: whereby it is evident, they have not an univerfal hffent, nor are general lmpreflions. But there is this farther Argument in ic again! l: their being in note: That thcfe ChoraCl:ers, if they were native and original ImprefTtons, Jho•id appear fairefl and clearefl in thofe Perfons; in whom yet we find no Foot-lleps of them: And 'tis,in my Opinion, 11 firong Prefumption, that they are not innate; Iince they are lea!l: known to thofc, in whom, if they were innate, they mull needs exert themfclvcs with moll Force and Vigour. For Cbildren, f deots, Savages, and illitetate People, being of all others the leafi corrupted by Cuflom, or borrowed Opinions ; Learning, and Education, having not ca!l: their native thoughts into new Moulds; nor by fuper-inducing foreign and lludied Doctrines,confounded thofe fair Characters Nature had written there; one might reafonably imogine, That in their Minds rhefe innate Notions lhould lie open fairly to every ones view, as 'tis certain the thoughts of Children |