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Remarks
and must therefore be entire chaos and confusion . The three qualities just enumerated are , therefore , necessary to all clear conceptions . 3 dly . Next as to relation , no substance can be free from a relation to other substances , or it must occupy no space and time , or all nature ; and either case is impossible . The relations are triune : —first , what is permanent in a thing is its substance , which must be permanent ; for however its properties may changethe annihilation of its essence is not
, conceivable ; and the properties it possesses , which are always changing , and hence are named its accidents . 2 dly . Nothing is conceivable as existing without a cause ( the axiom , as we before stated , of Hume ) , but no cause can be a cause till it produces an effect , so that nothing is clear until we have assigned it a cause , and ascribed to it an effect . Lastly , all objects must be in a state of action upon other bodies , and must be reacted on by them . (§ 25 of Wirgman ' s . Princiles ) .
p But the essential operations of the mind in forming a clear conception are not yet complete ; for though I very clearly conceive that Scriblerus has written a book , which is a single volume composed of a multitude of leaves , forming a totality of a thousand—that it is a real book , surrounded by the negations of a table below it and the air around it , and having definite limits—though I am sure it is framed of materials or substance which must always exist , though its weight is evaporating , and its
squareness departing with every instant of time—though I know its cause was a bookmaker , and its effect will be to light the fire , and thoug hts action on the table must be resisted by the reaction ofthe same—it may not exist at all . Hence , however clear a conception may be , it is requisite to consider it under the relation of modality , which is also of three kinds , possibility , existence , necessity . It is possible Scriblerus has printed a book , or I could not have conceived it ; if I see it .
I shall know it really exists ; without seeing it , I cannot say it must of necessity exist . But there are many other things which must be whether I see them or not , e . g . there must be in every circle a centre . Now although , possessed of these points of information with regard to any object , we may not seem to know much of it , yet investigation will show that besides these necessary and preliminary conditions , if we add what may be derived from experience , that is , what may be deduced
from conceptions founded on intuitions , we shall know all that ever has been learnt , all that ever can be learnt of any subject whatever . But with every new conception derived from experience , the twelve elements just enumerated are put in operation , and hence arises so great a multitude of notions , even in thoughts that appear at first sight simple , that we are prohibited by our limits from indulging in any analysis of particular , propositions , although we feel that practical illustrations of this kind form what is chiefly wanted to make the system intellio-ible and popular . °
1 he twelve essential notions which we have mentioned as necessary to a clear comprehension of any object are named categories , or otherwise pure conceptions . By the term pure , we mean ' that these conceptions are like the intuitions , time and space , mental qualities , original and independent powers of the mind , not in any degree derived through the senses from external objects .
It is curious that without any aid from external agents these categories , or general conceptions , form b y their operations on time and space the whole science of mathematics . The geometrician takes the field of space , and begins by assuming , what he never could have learnt through the senses , thc existence of a point of no dimensions : thc fen-
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
Remarks
and must therefore be entire chaos and confusion . The three qualities just enumerated are , therefore , necessary to all clear conceptions . 3 dly . Next as to relation , no substance can be free from a relation to other substances , or it must occupy no space and time , or all nature ; and either case is impossible . The relations are triune : —first , what is permanent in a thing is its substance , which must be permanent ; for however its properties may changethe annihilation of its essence is not
, conceivable ; and the properties it possesses , which are always changing , and hence are named its accidents . 2 dly . Nothing is conceivable as existing without a cause ( the axiom , as we before stated , of Hume ) , but no cause can be a cause till it produces an effect , so that nothing is clear until we have assigned it a cause , and ascribed to it an effect . Lastly , all objects must be in a state of action upon other bodies , and must be reacted on by them . (§ 25 of Wirgman ' s . Princiles ) .
p But the essential operations of the mind in forming a clear conception are not yet complete ; for though I very clearly conceive that Scriblerus has written a book , which is a single volume composed of a multitude of leaves , forming a totality of a thousand—that it is a real book , surrounded by the negations of a table below it and the air around it , and having definite limits—though I am sure it is framed of materials or substance which must always exist , though its weight is evaporating , and its
squareness departing with every instant of time—though I know its cause was a bookmaker , and its effect will be to light the fire , and thoug hts action on the table must be resisted by the reaction ofthe same—it may not exist at all . Hence , however clear a conception may be , it is requisite to consider it under the relation of modality , which is also of three kinds , possibility , existence , necessity . It is possible Scriblerus has printed a book , or I could not have conceived it ; if I see it .
I shall know it really exists ; without seeing it , I cannot say it must of necessity exist . But there are many other things which must be whether I see them or not , e . g . there must be in every circle a centre . Now although , possessed of these points of information with regard to any object , we may not seem to know much of it , yet investigation will show that besides these necessary and preliminary conditions , if we add what may be derived from experience , that is , what may be deduced
from conceptions founded on intuitions , we shall know all that ever has been learnt , all that ever can be learnt of any subject whatever . But with every new conception derived from experience , the twelve elements just enumerated are put in operation , and hence arises so great a multitude of notions , even in thoughts that appear at first sight simple , that we are prohibited by our limits from indulging in any analysis of particular , propositions , although we feel that practical illustrations of this kind form what is chiefly wanted to make the system intellio-ible and popular . °
1 he twelve essential notions which we have mentioned as necessary to a clear comprehension of any object are named categories , or otherwise pure conceptions . By the term pure , we mean ' that these conceptions are like the intuitions , time and space , mental qualities , original and independent powers of the mind , not in any degree derived through the senses from external objects .
It is curious that without any aid from external agents these categories , or general conceptions , form b y their operations on time and space the whole science of mathematics . The geometrician takes the field of space , and begins by assuming , what he never could have learnt through the senses , thc existence of a point of no dimensions : thc fen-