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Show Names of Jimple Ideas. Book III. all: And therefore a Definition, which is properly nothinil hut the fhewing the meaning of one Word by feveral others, not ligmfymg each the fame thing can in the Names of limple Ideas have no Pluce. . §. 8. The not obferving this difference m our Ideas, ~nd ~heir Names, )las produced that eminent trilling in the Schools, wh1ch IS fo eafie to b bfervtd in the definitions they g1ve us of fome few of thefe lim pie /Je~s. Fo; as to the grearefl: part of the~, even thofe Mafl:ers of Definitions, were fain to leave them unr?uch d, meerly by the_ 1mpoflib1hty they found in it. What more exqmlite Jargon could the WIt of Man IO· vent, than this Definition, The AEl of~ hrng tn Power, as f?r fort/, tl.f in Power, which would puzzle any .rational Man, to whom 1~ was nor already known by irs famous abfurd1ty, to guefs what Word It could e· yer be fuppofed to be the Explicati_on of. If iulry_askmg a D~tchman wlJat &weeginge was, fhould have ~ece1ved this Exphcat1on m h1s own Language, that it was A..!/ us entif._m potentra qua tenus rn pot<ntra; I ask whether any one can i;na_gine he could thereby have underfl:ood what the WordBeweegin1,e lignilied,or have guelfed what Idea a Dutchman ordman) y hap in hisMind,and would lignifie to another, when he ufed that found: ~- '9· Nor have the modern Philofophers, who have endeavoured to ~brow off the Jargon of the Schools, and fpeok inrellil?ibly, much bet· ter fucceeded in defining limpJe Ideas, whether by explammg their Caufes, or any otherwife. The Atomifls, who defin~ Motion to be a pajfngt from one place to another, What ,~o they more than pur one fynonymous Word for another 1 For wpat is Paffat;e other than Motion 1 And if they ~ere asked wha~ Palfage was, How would the~ better define it than by ¥at ion r For 15 It not at leafl: as proper and ligmficanr, to fay, Paffage u a .Motjo• from one place toaoother, as to fay, Motion is a Paffa~,e, &c. This (siotran!lnte, and n0t to define, when we change two Words of the fame Signification qne fqr another; which when one is better underfiood than the other, may ferve todifcover what Idea the unknown !lands for; but is very far from a Definition, unlefs we will fay, every Englifl1 Word in theDictionary,isthedefinition of the Latin Word it anfwers, and t'hat Motion is a definition. of Motus. Nor will the foccejlive Application of the parts of the Superficies of one Body, to thofi of anotber, which the C~~tl}ans give us, prove a much better definition of Motion, when well e¥.'Pined. §. ro. The All of Perjpic~ou.r, as far forth as perfPicuous, is another l'~rlpateti~k definition of a limple Idea ; which though not more abfurd ~!Jariithe former of Motion, yet betrays its Ufelefsnefs and Inlignificancy ll!ore plainly, becaufe !'Jcperience will ear.)y convince any one, that it canriot make the meamng of the Word Ligbt (which it pretends to deijn< i) at all unde~llood by a blind Man : but the definition of Motion ap~~~ not at firft fight fo ufelefs, becaufe it [capes this way of Trial. For ~ fimple Idea, enmng by the Touch as well as Sight; 'tis impollible I\l,~ew a(l Exalllj>le of any one,. who has no other way to get the Idea o[ ¥Rf.ion, but P:lrely by the de~nition of that Name. When rhe Cartefi· a~s tell us, thai: Light i,j a great number of little Globules, llriking brisk· l,Y•o'/. the bottom ofthe Eye, theyfpeak a little more intelligibly than rh' Schepis: but yet thefe Words never fo well underllood would make lhe Idea, the Word Light llandsfor, no more known to a'Man that un;:ler· !lands it not before, than if orie fhould tell him, that Light was no· thing but .a Company ofiittle Tennis-balls, which Fairies all Day long llrol>k wuh Rackets agatAfl: fome Men's Fore-heads, whilfl: they palft:d by otl\ers. Forgrantmg his Explication of the thing to be true; yet the Idea Chap. IV. Names of fonple Ideas. Idea of the caufe of Light, if we had it never fo exact, would no more give us the Idea of Light it felf, as it is fuch a patticular perception in us than the Idea of the Figure and Motion of a fharp piece of Steel, would give us the Idea of that Pain, which it is able to caufc. in us. For the caufe of any Senfation, and the Senfarion it felf, in all the fimple ltleas of one Senfe, are two Ideas; and two ldtas [o different, and difiant one from another, that no two can be more fo. And rherefore fi1ould De~ Cartes's Globules llrike never fo long on the reti•a of a Man, who was blind by a GuttA Sere.t!, he would thereby never have any Idea of Light, or any dung opproaching to it; though he underfiood what little Globules were, and what fl:nking on another Body was, never fo wt!l. 6. 11. Simple !dear, as has been fhewed, are M{y to be got by tlmfe im· prejlions Objects themfelves make on our ~ind s, _by the prnpcr Inlets"!'" pointed to each fort. If they are not received tlus way, all the Worcls 10 the World, made ufe of to explain, or define any of their Names, will nf1•cr ·be able to procl.ce inr1s the Idea itj}ands for. For Words bemg Sounds, can produce in us no other /imple ldeds, than ofthofe very Sounds; nor excite any in us, but by that voluntary connex10n, wh1ch IS known to be between them, and rhofe limple lcleas, which common Ufe has made them Signs of. He that thinks otherwife, lot him try if any Words can give him the tafl:e of a Pme-A pple, and make !urn have th_c true (de a of the Relifl1 of that celebrated delicious Fru1t. So far as he 1s told 1t has a refemblance with any Tafl:es, whereof he has the Ideas already in his Memory imprinted there by fenfible Objects not Strangers to his Palate; fo far may he approach that refemblance in his ~ind. But this is not giving us that Idea by a Definition, b~t exc1Mg m us other lim pie Ideas by their known Names; which wdl be fl:IIl very different from the tr'ue Talles of that Fruit it felf. In Light and Colonrs, and all other limple Ideas, it is 'the fame thing: for the lignification _of Sounds,. i• not natural, but only impofed and arbitrary. A~d no defimt1on of L1g_ht, or Rednefs, is more fitted, or able to produce eahcr of thofe Ideal m us, than the found Light, or Red, by it felf. for to hope to produce an Idea of Light, or Colour, by a Sound, however formed, is to cxpCI.-'t that Sou'?ds lhould be vilible or Colours audible; and to make the Ears do the office of all other Senf;s. Which is all one as to fay, that we might Tafl:e, Smell, and See, by the Ears: a fort of PhilofoP.hY worthy only of Sanco Panca who had the Faculty to fee Dulcinea by Hearfay. And 1herefore he tl,.'t has not before received in.to his Mind, by the proper Inlet, the limple Idea which any Word fl:ands for, can never come to know the ' lignification of that Word, by any other Word~ •. or Sounds, what;ocver put together, accortling to any Rules of pefimuon. The only \1 ay IS, by applying to his Senfes the proper ObJeCt; and fo producmg_ that Idea in him for which he has learn'd the narrto already A fl:ud10us bhntl Man, :vho had mightily beat his Head abo1It vifibJc·Objects, and made ufe of th¢ explication of his Books and Fnends, ~ underfiand ~hofc name<; of Light, und Colours, which often came m Ius way; brnggd _ona day, That he now undcrfl:ood what Scarlet fignified. Upon wh1ch Ins Fnend demandin!l what Schrlct was? the blind Man anfwered, It was hke the Sound of a 'Trumpet. Jull fuch an Underfianding_ of the name of any other limple Idea will he have, who hopes w get It only from a Delim-tion or other Words made ufe of to explmn It. . . ~.' u. The calf: is quite otherwife j,. c4wplex Ideas; wh1ch confilhn~ offcveral fimple ones, it is in the power of words, fiand1ng for th~ feverall" d:af, thai make that Compofition, to imprint complex Id<as Mm thde In, '99 |