Locke, John (1632-1704)

An Essay Concerning Humane Understanding

London

1690, 1694, 1695, 1700, 1706

"How, as it were in an instant, do our Minds, with one glance, see all the parts of a demonstration, which may very well be called a long one, if we consider the time it will require to put into words, and step by step shew it another?"

Nor need we wonder, that this is done with so little notice, if we consider, how very quick the actions of the Mind are performed: For as it self is thought to take up no space, to have no extension; so its actions seem to require no time, but many of them seem to be crouded in an Instant. I speak this in comparison to the Actions of the Body. Any one my easily observe this in his own Thoughts, who will take the pains to reflect on them. How, as it were in an instant, do our Minds, with one glance, see all the parts of a demonstration, which may very well be called a long one, if we consider the time it will require to put into words, and step by step shew it another? Secondly, we shall not be so much surprized, that this is done in us with so little notice, if we consider, how the facility which we get of doing things, by a custom of doing, makes them often pass in us without our notice. Habits, especially such as are often begun very early, come, at last, to produce actions in us, which often escape our observation. How frequently do we, in a day, cover our Eyes with our Eye-lids, without perceiving that we are at all in the dark? Men, that by custom have got the use of a By-word, so almost in every sentence, pronounce sounds, which, though taken notice of by others, they themselves neither hear, nor observe. And therefore 'tis not so strange, that our Mind should often change the Idea of its Sensation, in to that of its Judgment, and make one serve only to excite the other, without our taking notice of it.
(II.ix.10)

Body::Vision::Glance

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.

09/15/2003