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
way of conceiving them, and these our ideas of their infinity.
2. The Idea of Finite easily got.
Finite then, and infinite, being by the mind looked on as MODIFICATIONS
of expansion and duration, the next thing to be considered, is,—HOW THE
MIND COMES BY THEM. As for the idea of finite, there is no great
difficulty. The obvious portions of extension that affect our senses,
carry with them into the mind the idea of finite: and the ordinary
periods of succession, whereby we measure time and duration, as hours,
days, and years, are bounded lengths. The difficulty is, how we come by
those BOUNDLESS IDEAS of eternity and immensity; since the objects we
converse with come so much short of any approach or proportion to that
largeness.
3. How we come by the Idea of Infinity.
Every one that has any idea of any stated lengths of space, as a foot,
finds that he can repeat that idea; and joining it to the former, make
the idea of two feet; and by the addition of a third, three feet; and
so on, without ever coming to an end of his additions, whether of the
same idea of a foot, or, if he pleases, of doubling it, or any other
idea he has of any length, as a mile, or diameter of the earth, or of
the orbis magnus: for whichever of these he takes, and how often soever
he doubles, or any otherwise multiplies it, he finds, that, after he
has continued his doubling in his thoughts, and enlarged his idea as
much as he pleases, he has no more reason to stop, nor is one jot
nearer the end of such addition, than he was at first setting out: the
power of enlarging his idea of space by further additions remaining
still the same, he hence takes the idea of infinite space.
4. Our Idea of Space boundless.
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