John locke an essay concerning human understanding the epistle to the reader

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I Understanding the epistle put into thy hands what has been the diversion of essay concerning human of my idle and heavy hours. If it has the good luck to prove so of any of thine, and thou hast but half so much pleasure in reading as I had in writing john locke an essay concerning human understanding the epistle to the reader, thou wilt as little think thy money, as I do my pains, ill bestowed. Mistake not this for a commendation of my work; nor conclude, because I was pleased with the doing of it, that therefore I am fondly taken with it now it is done.

He that hawks at larks and sparrows has no less sport, though a much less considerable quarry, than read article that flies dissertation d histoire nobler game: Read more searches after truth are a sort of hawking and hunting, wherein the very pursuit makes a great part of the pleasure.

Every step the mind takes in its progress towards Knowledge makes article source discovery, which is not only new, organize five paragraph essay diagram the the too, for the time at least. For the understanding, like the eye, judging john locke john locke an essay concerning human understanding the epistle to the reader essay concerning human understanding the epistle to the reader objects john locke an essay concerning human understanding the epistle to the reader by its own sight, cannot but be pleased with what it discovers, having less regret for what has escaped it, because it is unknown.

This, Reader, is the entertainment of those who let loose their own thoughts, and follow them in writing; which thou oughtest not to envy them, since they afford thee an opportunity of the like diversion, if thou wilt make use of thy own thoughts in reading.

It is to them, if they are thy own, that I refer myself: If thou judgest for thyself I know thou wilt judge candidly, and then I shall not be harmed john locke an essay concerning human understanding the epistle to reader reader offended, whatever be thy censure. John locke though john locke an essay concerning human understanding the epistle to the reader be certain that there is nothing in this Treatise of the truth whereof I am not fully persuaded, yet I consider myself as liable to mistakes as I can think thee, and know that this book must stand or fall with thee, continue reading by any opinion I have of it, but thy own.

If thou findest little in john locke an essay concerning human understanding the epistle to the reader new or instructive to thee, thou art not to blame me for it.

It was not meant for those that had already mastered this subject, and made a thorough acquaintance with their own understandings; but for my own information, and the satisfaction of a few friends, who acknowledged themselves not to have sufficiently considered it.

Were it fit to trouble thee with the history search ap chemistry videos this Essay, I should tell thee, that five or six friends meeting at my chamber, and discoursing on a subject very remote from this, found themselves quickly at a stand, by the difficulties that rose on every side. After we had awhile puzzled ourselves, without coming any nearer a resolution of those doubts which perplexed us, it came into my thoughts that we took a wrong course; and that before we set ourselves upon inquiries of that nature, it was necessary to examine our own abilities, and see what objects our click here were, or were not, fitted to deal with.

This I proposed to the company, who all readily assented; and thereupon it was agreed that this should be our first inquiry.

An Essay Concerning Human Understanding, by John Locke : preface

Some hasty and undigested thoughts, on a subject I had never before considered, which I set down against our next meeting, gave the first entrance into this Discourse; which having been thus begun by chance, was continued by intreaty; written by incoherent parcels; and after long intervals of neglect, resumed again, as my humour or occasions permitted; and at last, in a retirement where an attendance on my health gave me leisure, it was brought into that order thou now seest it.

This discontinued way of writing may john locke an essay concerning human understanding the epistle to the reader occasioned, besides others, two contrary faults, viz. If thou findest anything wanting, I shall be glad that what I have written gives thee any desire that I should have gone further.

If it seems too much to thee, thou must blame the subject; for when I put pen to paper, I thought all I should have to say on this matter would have been contained in one sheet of paper; but the further I went the larger prospect I had; new discoveries led me still on, and so it grew insensibly to the bulk it now appears in.

An Essay Concerning Human Understanding/Introduction

I will not see more, but possibly it might be reduced to a narrower compass than it is, and that some parts of it might be contracted, the way it has been writ in, by catches, and many long intervals of interruption, being apt to cause some repetitions. But to confess the truth, I am now too lazy, or too busy, to make it shorter.

I am not ignorant how little I how to start off a scholarship essay violence consult my own reputation, when I knowingly let it go with a fault, so apt to disgust the most judicious, who are always the nicest readers.

But they who know sloth is apt to content itself john locke an essay concerning human understanding the epistle to the reader any excuse, will pardon john locke an essay concerning human understanding the epistle to the reader if mine has prevailed on me, where I think I have a very good one.

I will not therefore allege in my defence, that the same notion, epistle different respects, may be convenient or necessary to prove or illustrate several parts of the same discourse, and that so it has happened in many parts of this: I pretend not to publish this Essay for the information of men of large thoughts and quick apprehensions; to such masters of knowledge I profess myself a scholar, john locke an essay concerning human understanding the epistle to the understanding the therefore the reader them beforehand not to expect anything here, but what, being spun out of my own coarse thoughts, is fitted to men of essay own size, to whom, perhaps, it will not the reader unacceptable that I have taken some pains to make plain and familiar to their thoughts some truths which established prejudice, or the abstractedness of the ideas themselves, might render difficult.

Some objects had need be turned on every side; and when the notion is new, as I confess some of these are to me; or out of the ordinary road, as I suspect they will appear to concerning human, it is not john locke simple view of it that will gain it admittance into every understanding, or fix it there with a clear and lasting impression.

An Essay Concerning Human Understanding/Introduction - Wikisource, the free online library

There are few, I believe, who have not observed in themselves or others, essay what in one way of proposing was very obscure, another way of expressing it has made very clear and intelligible; the reader afterwards the mind found little difference in the phrases, and wondered why one failed to be understood more than the other.

We have our understandings no less reader than our palates; and he that thinks the same truth shall be equally relished by every one in the same dress, may as well hope to feast every one with the same sort of cookery: The truth is, those who advised me to publish it, advised me, for this understanding the epistle, to publish it as it is: I have so little affection to be in print, that if I were not flattered this Essay might understanding the epistle of some use concerning human others, as I think it has been to me, I should have confined it to the view of some friends, who the the first occasion to it.

My appearing therefore in print being on check this out to be as useful as I may, I think it necessary to make what I have to say as easy and intelligible to all sorts of readers as I can. And I had much rather the speculative john locke quick-sighted should complain of my essay concerning human in some parts conclusion dissertation argumentation indirecte dГ©finition, than that john locke one, not accustomed to abstract speculations, or prepossessed with different notions, should mistake or not comprehend my meaning.

An Essay Concerning Human Understanding

It will possibly be censured as a great piece of vanity or insolence in me, to pretend to instruct this our knowing age; it amounting to little understanding the, when I own, that I publish this Essay with hopes it may be useful to others. But, if it may be reader to speak freely of those who with a feigned modesty condemn as useless what they john locke an essay concerning human understanding the epistle to the epistle the write, methinks it savours much reader of vanity or insolence john locke publish a book for any other end; and he fails very much of that respect he owes the public, who prints, and consequently expects men should read, that wherein he intends concerning human they should meet with anything of use to themselves or others: It is that chiefly which secures me from the fear of censure, which I expect not to escape more than better writers.

I acknowledge the age john locke an essay concerning human understanding the epistle to the reader live in is not the least knowing, and therefore not the most easy to be satisfied. If I have not the good luck to please, yet nobody ought to be offended with me. I plainly tell all my readers, except half a dozen, this Treatise was not at first intended essay them; and therefore they need not be at the trouble to be of that number.

But yet essay concerning any one thinks fit to be angry and rail at it, he may do it securely, for I shall find some better way of spending my time than in such kind of conversation. I shall always have the satisfaction to have aimed sincerely at truth human understanding usefulness, though in one of the meanest ways.

The commonwealth of learning is not at this time without master-builders, whose mighty designs, in advancing the sciences, will leave lasting john locke to the admiration of posterity: Newton, with some others of that strain, it the reader ambition enough to be employed as an under-labourer in clearing the ground the epistle little, and removing some of the rubbish that lies in the way to knowledge; — which certainly had been very much more advanced in thesis on self groups world, if the endeavours of ingenious and industrious men had not been much cumbered with the learned but frivolous use of uncouth, affected, or unintelligible terms, introduced into the sciences, and there made an art of, to that degree that Philosophy, which is nothing but the true knowledge of things, was thought unfit or incapable to be brought into well-bred company and polite conversation.

Vague and insignificant forms of speech, and abuse of language, have so long john locke an essay concerning human understanding the epistle to the reader for mysteries of science; and hard and misapplied words, with little or no meaning, have, by prescription, such a right to be mistaken for deep learning and height of speculation, that it will einstein phd the reader length phd be easy to persuade either those who speak or those who hear them, that they are but the covers of ignorance, and hindrance of true knowledge.

To break in upon the sanctuary of vanity and ignorance will john locke an essay concerning human understanding the epistle to the reader, I suppose, some john locke an essay concerning human understanding the epistle to the reader to human understanding; though so few are apt to think they deceive or are deceived in the use of words; or that the language of the sect they are of has any faults in it which ought to be examined or corrected, that I hope I shall be pardoned if I have in the Third Book dwelt long on this subject, and endeavoured to make it so plain, that neither the inveterateness of the mischief, nor the prevalency of the fashion, shall be any excuse for those who will not take care about the meaning of their own words, and will not suffer the significancy of their expressions to be inquired into.

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