Locke, John (1632-1704)

An Essay Concerning Humane Understanding

London

1690, 1694, 1695, 1700, 1706

"Whatever then we talk of innate, either speculative or practical Principles, it may, with as much probability, be said, That a Man hath 100 l. sterling in his Pocket, and yet denied, that he hath there either Penny, Shilling, Crown, or other Coin, out of which the Sum is to be made up; as to think that certain Propositions are innate, when the Ideas about which they are can by no means be supposed to be so."

19. Whatever then we talk of innate, either speculative or practical Principles, it may, with as much probability, be said, That a Man hath 100 l. sterling in his Pocket, and yet denied, that he hath there either Penny, Shilling, Crown, or other Coin, out of which the Sum is to be made up; as to think that certain Propositions are innate, when the Ideas about which they are can by no means be supposed to be so. The general reception and assent that is given doth not at all prove, that the Ideas expressed in them are innate: For in many cases, however the Ideas came there, the assent to Words expressing the agreement or disagreement of such Ideas, will necessarily follow. Every one, that hath a true Idea of God and Worship, will assent to this Proposition, that God is to be worshipped, when expressed in a Language he understands: And every rational Man, that hath not thought on it to day, may be ready to assent to this Proposition to morrow; and yet millions of Men may be well supposed to want one or both those Ideas to day. For if we will allow Savages and most Country-people to have Ideas of God and Worship, (which conversation with them will not make one forward to believe) yet I think few Children can be supposed to have those Ideas, which therefore they must begin to have sometime or other; and then they will also begin to assent to that Proposition, and make very little question of it ever after. But such an assent upon hearing no more proves the Ideas to be innate, than it does, That one born blind (with Cataracts, which will be couched to morrow) had the innate Ideas of the Sun, or Light, or Saffron, or Yellow; because, when his sight is cleared, he will certainly assent to this proposition, "that the Sun is lucid, or that Saffron is yellow;" and therefore, if such an assent upon hearing cannot prove the Ideas innate, it can much less the propositions made up of those Ideas. If they have any innate Ideas, I would be glad to be told what, and how many they are.
(I.iv.19)

Money::Coinage

Reading

Locke began composition as early as 1671 (Drafts A and B).

I find over 25 entries in the ESTC (1690, 1694, 1695, 1700, 1706, 1710, 1715, 1721, 1726, 1731, 1735, 1741, 1748, 1753, 1759, 1760, 1765, 1768, 1775, 1777, 1786, 1788, 1793, 1795, 1796, 1798). See also the many abridgements issued in the period.

First published as An Essay Concerning Humane Understanding. In Four Books. (London: Printed by Eliz. Holt, for Thomas Basset, at the George in Fleetstreet, near St. Dunstan's Church, 1690). <Link to EEBO><EEBO-TCP>

Searching first in a Past Masters edition based on the 12th Edition of Locke's Works and proofread against the 1959 Fraser edition. More recent searches in EEBO-TCP.

Reading John Locke's An Essay Concerning Human Understanding, ed. Peter Nidditch (Oxford, Oxford UP, 1975)--against which I have checked the text searched in Past Masters. Note, Nidditch's text is based on 4th ed. of 1700.

04/10/2012