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 ideas we have belonging and PECULIAR TO SPIRIT, are THINKING, and
WILL, or A POWER OF PUTTING BODY INTO MOTION BY THOUGHT, AND, WHICH IS
CONSEQUENT TO IT, LIBERTY. For, as body cannot but communicate its
motion by impulse to another body, which it meets with at rest, so the
mind can put bodies into motion, or forbear to do so, as it pleases.
The ideas of EXISTENCE, DURATION, and MOBILITY, are common to them
both.
19. Spirits capable of Motion.
There is no reason why it should be thought strange that I make
mobility belong to spirit; for having no other idea of motion, but
change of distance with other beings that are considered as at rest;
and finding that spirits, as well as bodies, cannot operate but where
they are; and that spirits do operate at several times in several
places, I cannot but attribute change of place to all finite spirits:
(for of the Infinite Spirit I speak not here). For my soul, being a
real being as well as my body, is certainly as capable of changing
distance with any other body, or being, as body itself; and so is
capable of motion. And if a mathematician can consider a certain
distance, or a change of that distance between two points, one may
certainly conceive a distance and a change of distance, between two
spirits; and so conceive their motion, their approach or removal, one
from another.
20. Proof of this.
Every one finds in himself that his soul can think, will, and operate
on his body in the place where that is, but cannot operate on a body,
or in a place, an hundred miles distant from it. Nobody can imagine
that his soul can think or move a body at Oxford, whilst he is at
London; and cannot but know, that, being united to his body, it
constantly changes place all the whole journey between Oxford and
London, as the coach or horse does that carries him, and I think may be
said to be truly all that while in motion or if that will not be
allowed to afford us a clear idea enough of its motion, its being
separated from the body in death, I think, will; for to consider it as
going out of the body, or leaving it, and yet to have no idea of its
motion, seems to me impossible.
21. God immoveable because infinite.
If it be said by any one that it cannot change place, because it hath
none, for the spirits are not IN LOCO, but UBI; I suppose that way of
talking will not now be of much weight to many, in an age that is not
much disposed to admire, or suffer themselves to be deceived by such
unintelligible ways of speaking. But if any one thinks there is any
sense in that distinction, and that it is applicable to our present
purpose, I desire him to put it into intelligible English; and then
from thence draw a reason to show that immaterial spirits are not
capable of motion. Indeed motion cannot be attributed to God; not
because he is an immaterial, but because he is an infinite spirit.
22. Our complex idea of an immaterial Spirit and our complex idea of
Body compared.
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