An Essay Concerning Humane Understanding, Volume 1: MDCXC, Based on the 2nd Edition, Books 1 and 2Locke, John
Philosophy
An Essay Concerning Humane Understanding, Volume 1: MDCXC, Based on the 2nd Edition, Books 1 and 2
Locke, John
Knowledge, Theory of -- Early works to 1800
The next thing to be considered is, how bodies operate one upon
another; and that is manifestly by impulse, and nothing else. It being
impossible to conceive that body should operate on WHAT IT DOES NOT
TOUCH (which is all one as to imagine it can operate where it is not),
or when it does touch, operate any other way than by motion.
12. By motions, external, and in our organism.
If then external objects be not united to our minds when they produce
ideas therein; and yet we perceive these ORIGINAL qualities in such of
them as singly fall under our senses, it is evident that some motion
must be thence continued by our nerves, or animal spirits, by some
parts of our bodies, to the brains or the seat of sensation, there to
produce in our minds the particular ideas we have of them. And since
the extension, figure, number, and motion of bodies of an observable
bigness, may be perceived at a distance by the sight, it is evident
some singly imperceptible bodies must come from them; to the eyes, and
thereby convey to the brain some motion; which produces these ideas
which we have of them in us.
13. How secondary Qualities produce their ideas.
After the same manner that the ideas of these original qualities are
produced in us, we may conceive that the ideas of SECONDARY qualities
are also produced, viz. by the operation of insensible particles on our
senses. For, it being manifest that there are bodies and good store of
bodies, each whereof are so small, that we cannot by any of our senses
discover either their bulk, figure, or motion,—as is evident in the
particles of the air and water, and others extremely smaller than
those; perhaps as much smaller than the particles of air and water, as
the particles of air and water are smaller than peas or
hail-stones;—let us suppose at present that, the different motions and
figures, bulk and number, of such particles, affecting the several
organs of our senses, produce in us those different sensations which we
have from the colours and smells of bodies; v.g. that a violet, by the
impulse of such insensible particles of matter, of peculiar figures and
bulks, and in different degrees and modifications of their motions,
causes the ideas of the blue colour, and sweet scent of that flower to
be produced in our minds. It being no more impossible to conceive that
God should annex such ideas to such motions, with which they have no
similitude, than that he should annex the idea of pain to the motion of
a piece of steel dividing our flesh, with which that idea hath no
resemblance.
14. They depend on the primary Qualities.
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