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An Essay Concerning Human Understanding

John Locke

John Locke's An Essay Concerning Human Understanding (1690) is the founding text of British empiricism and one of the most influential works of modern philosophy. Against the doctrine of innate ideas, Locke argues that the mind begins as a 'white paper' and that all our knowledge is ultimately derived from experience, whether sensation or reflection. Across its four books it examines the origin of ideas, the nature and limits of human knowledge, the workings of language, and the grounds of probability and belief, shaping the Enlightenment and the thought of Berkeley, Hume, and Kant.

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Contents

  1. The Epistle to the Reader
  2. Book I: Neither Principles nor Ideas Are Innate
    1. Chapter I: Introduction
    2. Chapter II: No Innate Speculative Principles
    3. Chapter III: No Innate Practical Principles
    4. Chapter IV: Other Considerations Concerning Innate Principles, Both Speculative and Practical
  3. Book II: Of Ideas
    1. Chapter I: Of Ideas in General, and their Original
    2. Chapter II: Of Simple Ideas
    3. Chapter III: Of Simple Ideas of Sense
    4. Chapter IV: Idea of Solidity
    5. Chapter V: Of Simple Ideas of Divers Senses
    6. Chapter VI: Of Simple Ideas of Reflection
    7. Chapter VII: Of Simple Ideas of Both Sensation and Reflection
    8. Chapter VIII: Some Further Considerations Concerning our Simple Ideas of Sensation
    9. Chapter IX: Of Perception
    10. Chapter X: Of Retention
    11. Chapter XI: Of Discerning, and Other Operations of the Mind
    12. Chapter XII: Of Complex Ideas
    13. Chapter XIII: Complex Ideas of Simple Modes:—and First, of the Simple Modes of Idea of Space
    14. Chapter XIV: Idea of Duration and its Simple Modes
    15. Chapter XV: Ideas of Duration and Expansion, Considered Together
    16. Chapter XVI: Idea of Number
    17. Chapter XVII: Of Infinity
    18. Chapter XVIII: Other Simple Modes
    19. Chapter XIX: Of the Modes of Thinking
    20. Chapter XX: Of Modes of Pleasure and Pain
    21. Chapter XXI: Of Power
    22. Chapter XXII: Of Mixed Modes
    23. Chapter XXIII: Of our Complex Ideas of Substances
    24. Chapter XXIV: Of Collective Ideas of Substances
    25. Chapter XXV: Of Relation
    26. Chapter XXVI: Of Cause and Effect, and Other Relations
    27. Chapter XXVII: Of Identity and Diversity
    28. Chapter XXVIII: Of Other Relations
    29. Chapter XXIX: Of Clear and Obscure, Distinct and Confused Ideas
    30. Chapter XXX: Of Real and Fantastical Ideas
    31. Chapter XXXI: Of Adequate and Inadequate Ideas
    32. Chapter XXXII: Of True and False Ideas
    33. Chapter XXXIII: Of the Association of Ideas
  4. Book III: Of Words
    1. Chapter I: Of Words or Language in General
    2. Chapter II: Of the Signification of Words
    3. Chapter III: Of General Terms
    4. Chapter IV: Of the Names of Simple Ideas
    5. Chapter V: Of the Names of Mixed Modes and Relations
    6. Chapter VI: Of the Names of Substances
    7. Chapter VII: Of Particles
    8. Chapter VIII: Of Abstract and Concrete Terms
    9. Chapter IX: Of the Imperfection of Words
    10. Chapter X: Of the Abuse of Words
    11. Chapter XI: Of the Remedies of the Foregoing Imperfections and Abuses of Words
  5. Book IV: Of Knowledge and Probability
    1. Chapter I: Of Knowledge in General
    2. Chapter II: Of the Degrees of our Knowledge
    3. Chapter III: Of the Extent of Human Knowledge
    4. Chapter IV: Of the Reality of Knowledge
    5. Chapter V: Of Truth in General
    6. Chapter VI: Of Universal Propositions: their Truth and Certainty
    7. Chapter VII: Of Maxims
    8. Chapter VIII: Of Trifling Propositions
    9. Chapter IX: Of our Threefold Knowledge of Existence
    10. Chapter X: Of our Knowledge of the Existence of a God
    11. Chapter XI: Of our Knowledge of the Existence of Other Things
    12. Chapter XII: Of the Improvement of our Knowledge
    13. Chapter XIII: Some Further Considerations Concerning our Knowledge
    14. Chapter XIV: Of Judgment
    15. Chapter XV: Of Probability
    16. Chapter XVI: Of the Degrees of Assent
    17. Chapter XVII: Of Reason
    18. Chapter XVIII: Of Faith and Reason, and their Distinct Provinces
    19. Chapter XX: Of Wrong Assent, or Error
    20. Chapter XXI: Of the Division of the Sciences