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Show 1.00 Names of Jfmple Ideas. Book III. Mind, which were never there before ; and fo make their Names be underftood. In fuc~ Collection.s of ~deas, paffing under bne name, Dfjnitions, or the teaching the ligmficot1on of one word, by feveral ot'hets, has place, and may make us undus1and the Namts of Things, which never came within the reach of our Senfes; and frame Idtas fuitable to thofe in other Mens Minds, when they ufe thofe Names : provided that none of the terms of the Definition ftand for any fuch limple ]: dear! w~ich he to whom the Explication is made, has never yet had m IllS Thoughts. Thus the word Statue may be explained to a blind Man by other w?rds, wh~n Piflure cannot, his Scnfes having gtven !urn theideaofF1gure, but not ofColours, which therefore Words cannot excite in him.. This gai~'d the Prize to the Painter, againft the Statuary; each of :vluch contendmg for the excellency of his Art, and •the Statuary bragg1ng, that h1s was to be preferred , becaufe it reached fitrther, and even thofe W~lO had loft their Eyes, could yet perceive the excellency of tt. The Pamter agreed to refer himfelf to the Judgment of a blind Man; who being brought where there was a Statue made by the one, and a PiClure drawn by the other; he was lirh led to the Statue in which he tra_ced, with his Han.ds, all the Lineaments of the Face anJ Body ; and :v•th great admiration , applauded the Skill of the Workman: But bemg led to the P1cture,and having his Hands laid upon it was told, That now he touched the Head, and then the Fotehead, Eyes, Nofe, &c. as h1s Hand moved o~er_ the. Parts of the PiClure on the Cloth, with· out lindmg any the leafi diftmct10n: Whereupon he cried out, thnt cer· .tamly .that muft needs be a very adm1rable and divine piece of Workm~ nlhlp, whtch coul? reprefent to them all thofe Parts, where he could neither feel nor perceive any dung. §. r 3· He that lhould ufe the word Rainbow, to one who knew all thofe Colours, but yet had never feen that Phtenomeoon, would, by enumerating the F1gure, Largen~fs, Poliuon, and Order of the Colours, fo wdl define that word,that It m1ght be perfedly undcrftood. But yet that Definition, !loW exa8: and perfect foever, would never make a blind Man underibnd It; becaufe feveral of the limple Ideas that make that complex one, being fuch as he never rece1ved by Senfat1on and Experien~e no Words are able to excttethem m h1s Mind. ' §. r4. Simple Ideas, as has been lhewed, can only begot b Experience, from thofe Ob;ects wluch are proper to produce in us tiJOf/ Perceptions. Wbeo by th1s means we have our Mi.nd~ ftored with them, and know the Names for them, then we are m a condition to define, and by Definition to underftand the Names of complex Ideas that are made up of them. But ~h~aJ ~er;n, fian~~fr bfi mple Idea, that a Man has never yet had in 1 ~ 111 • It IS •mpo I e, Y any Words, to make known its meaning to ."':": When· any term fta~ds for an Idea a Man is acquainted with, but lhlilf:Orantdthat that term IS the lign of it' there another name, of the tfi e da':"e /. ea :Vh•ch he has been accufiomcd to may make him under· an Its meamng But · n fc ha c · ' n bl f · 1 . no ca e w tloever,JS any name of any fimplc .,Qea, capa eo a Defimuon. ' D rourtb{y, Bdut though the Names of jimple Ideas have not the help of I e llltlon to etermlne their lignification; yet tl;at hinders not but that tledySa~;~tfnera/lyBiefs ~ou6tful and uncertain, tban tho'i! o' mixed Model a11 uopnnces. ecau.e they ft d' 1 r ·'' 1 · Men for the moft >art fil an mg on Y wr one fimple Percepnon, And ~here is little )00~ £~/ Y.Ukd perfeClly agree in their fignilication, H 1 k mJ a e and wranghng about their meanmg. e t \at nowsoncc, that Wlmenefsis the name of that Colour be hasob-ferved Chap. IV. Names of fimple Ideas. ferved in Snow, or Miik, will not be apt to mifappiy that Word, as long as he retams that Idea; wluch whe~ he .has quite lofi, he is not apt to ini!lake the meanmg of 1t, but perceiVes he under/lands it not. There is neither a multiplicity of limple Id.as to be put together, which make5' ihe doubtfulnefs ih the Names of mixed Modes; nor a' fuppofed, but an unknown real E!fence, with Properties depending thereon , the prccifc number whereof, are alfo .unknown, which makes the difficulty in th~ Names of Subftances. But on the contrary, in lim pie Ideas the whole lignification of the Name is kn01v~ at once, and con fills not of parts, whereof more or lefs bemg put m, the Idea may be varied , and fd the fignification of its Narrie, be obfcure, or uncertain. §. 16. Fifthly, This farther rriay be obferved, concerningjiniple iJea;, and thCJr Names, that they ha-ue but few Afcents in linta prtedicnmentali, (as they call it,) from tbe lowejl Species, io the fummum Ge.ur. The reafon whereof is, that the lowell Species being btit oiie lim pie Idea, no~ thing ca_n be left out of it, t!Jatfo thediffcre~ce being t~kenaWdy, it may agree wnh fome other th;n!?>m one common to them both; which having one Name, is the Genus of the other two: v. g. There is nothing can be left out of the Idea of Wh1te and Red, to make tlie'm agree in one comfood appearance, and fo have one general riarrie; as Rationality being left out of the complex Idea of Man, makes it agree with Brute, in the fuor~ general Idea and name of Animal. And therefore when tQ avoid unpleafimt enumerations, Men would comprehend botli !Ybite and ReJ, and fever:il other fuch limple Ideas, under one general name, they have been fain tel do it by a Word, which denotes only the way they get into ihe Mind. For when White, Red, and ieUow, are all comprehended un. oer tlie Genus or name Colour , it lignifies no more, but fuch Ideas, as are produCed in the Mind only bjr the Sight, and have entrance only through the Eyes. And when they would frame yet a more general term, to comprehend both Colours and Sounds, and the like fimple Id-.s, they do it by a Word; that fignlfies all fuch :l.s come into the Mind only by one Senfe: And fo the general term Qyality, in its ordinary' acception, comprehends Colours, Sounds, Taftes, Smells, and tangible ~ali ties, with diftinctiori from Extention, Number, Motion, Pleafure, and Pain, which make im· Preffio'ns on the Mind, and introduce their Ideas by more Sfilfes than one. g. 17. Sixthly, The Names of limple Ideas, Subfiarices, and mixed M'ldes, have alfo this difference; That thofe of mixed Modes fiand for Ueas perfectly arbitrary : Thofe of SuU1ances, are not perfectly fo; but refer to a pattern, tbougb witb (ome latitude: and tho.fe of jimple Ideas .,, perfectly taken from the exiftence of Things, and are no/ ar6itrary at p/1. Which what difference it makes in the lignilicationsof their NameS, we lhall fee in the following Chopters. The Names of lim pie Modes, differ little from thole of fimple !dras. Dd CHAP. |