An Essay Concerning Human Understanding (Volume 2) (Paperback)

Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. This is an OCR edition with typos. Excerpt from book: was only the doctrine of substantial forms, and the confidence of mistaken pretenders to a knowledge that they had not, which first coined, and then introduced ani- malitas, and humanitas, and the like; which yet went veiy little farther than their own schools, and could never get to be current amongst understanding men. Indeed, humanitas was a word familiar amongst the Romans, but in a far different sense, and stood not for the abstract essence of any substance; but was the abstracted name of a mode, aad its concrete humanus, not homo. CHAP. IX. Of the Imperfection of Words., . . . 1. T7ROM what has been said in the Words are t j? - i v used for re- -- foregoing chapters, it is easy to cording and perceive what imperfection there is in lan- communicat- guage, and how the very nature of words ?g Vr makes it almost unavoidable for many of u " - them to be doubtful and uncertain in their significations. To examine the perfection or imperfection of words, it is necessary first to consider their use and end: for as they are more or less fitted to attain that, so they are more or less perfect. We have, in the former part of this discourse, often upon occasion mentioned a double use of words. First, one for the recording of our own thoughts. Secondly, the other for the communicating of our thoughts to others. . 2. As to the first of these, for the re- wHherveffor cortung our own thoughts for the help of recording. our ovm memories, whereby, as it were, we talk to ourselves, any words will serve the turn. For since sounds are voluntary and indifferent signs of any ideas, a man may use what words he pleases, ' to signify his own ideas to himself: and there will be no imperfection in them, if he constantly use the same chapter{Section...