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SECT. II.

Of fimple and complex, compound and collective Ideas.

DEAS confidered in their Nature, are either
Simple or complex.

A fimple Idea is one uniform Idea which cannot be divided or diftinguished by the Mind of Man into two or more Ideas; fuch are a Multitude of our Senfations, as the Idea of Sweet, Bitter, Cold, Heat, White, Red, Blue, Hard, Soft, Motion, Reft, and perhaps Extenfion and Duration: Such are also many of our fpiritual Ideas; fuch as Thought, Will, Wifh, Knowledge, &c.

A complex Idea is made by joining two or more fimple Ideas together; as a Square, a Triangle, a Cube, a Pen, a Table, Reading, Writing, Truth, Falfhood, a Body, a Man, a Horse, an Angel, a heavy Body, a fwift Horfe, &c. Every Thing that can be divided by the Mind into two or more Ideas is called complex,

Complex Ideas are often confidered as fingle and diftinet Beings, tho' they may be made up of feveral fimple Ideas; fo a Body, a Spirit, a House, a Tree, a Flower. But when feveral of thefe Ideas of a different Kind are join'd together, which are wont to be confider'd as diftinct fingle Beings, this is called a compounded Idea, whether these united Ideas be fimple or complex. So a Man is compounded of Body and Spirit, fo Mithridate is a compound Medicine, because it is made of many different Ingredients: This I have fhewn under the Doctrine of Substances. And Modes also may be compounded; Harmony is a compound Idea, made up of different Sounds united; fo feveral different Virtues must be united to make up the compounded

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compounded Idea or Character, either of a Hero, or a Saint.

But when many Ideas of the fame Kind are joined together and united in one Name, or under one View, it is called a collective Idea; fo an Army, or a Parliament, is a Collection of Men; a Dictionary or Nomenclatura is a Collection of Words; a Flock is a Collection of Sheep; a Foreft, or Grove, a Collection of Trees; a Heap is a Collection of Sand, or Corn, or Duft, &c. a City is a Collection of Houfes; a Nofegay is a Collection of Flowers; a Month, or a Year, is a Collection of Days, and a Thousand is a Collection of Units.

The precife Difference between a compound and collective Idea is this, that a compound Idea unites Things of a different Kind, but a collective Idea Things of the fame Kind: tho' this Diftinction in fome Cafes is not accurately obferv'd, and Custom oftentimes ufes the Word compound for collective.

SECT. III,

Of univerfal and particular Ideas, real and imaginary.

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DEAS, according to their Objects, may first be divided into particular or univerfal.

A particular Idea is that which reprefents one Thing only.

Sometimes the one Thing is represented in a loofe and indeterminate manner, as when we fay fome Man, any Man, one Man, another Man, fome Horfe, any Horfe; one City, or another, which is called by the Schools Individuum Vagum.

Sometimes the particular Idea represents one Thing in a determinate Manner, and then it is

called

called a fingular Idea; fuch is Bucephalus or Alexander's Horfe, Cicero the Orator, Peter the Apoftle, the Palace of Versailles, this Book, that River, the new Forest, or the City of London: That Idea which reprefents one particular determinate Thing to me is called a fingular Idea, whether it be fimple, or complex, or compound.

The Object of any particular Idea, as well as the Idea itself, is fometimes called an Individual: So Peter is an individual Man, London is an individual City. So this Book, one Horse, another Horfe, are all Individuals; tho' the Word Individual is more usually limited to one fingular, certain, and determined Object.

An univerfal Idea is that which represents a common Nature agreeing to feveral particular Things; fo a Horfe, a Man, or a Book, are called univerfal Ideas, because they agree to all Horfes, Men, or Books.

And I think it is not amifs to intimate, in this Place, that thefe univerfal Ideas are formed by that Act of the Mind which is called Abstraction. i. e. a withdrawing fome part of an Idea from other Parts of it: For when fingular Ideas are firft let into the Mind by Senfation or Reflection, then, in order to make them univerfal, we leave out, or drop, all thofe peculiar and determinate Characters, Qualities, Modes, or Circumftances, which belong merely to any particular individual Being, and by which it differs from other Beings; and we only contemplate thofe Properties of it, wherein it agrees with other Beings.

Tho' it must be confeffed, that the Name of abstracted Ideas is fometimes attributed to univerfal Ideas, both fenfible or fpiritual, yet this AbAtraction is not fo great; as when we drop out of our Idea every fenfible or fpiritual Reprefentation,

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and retain nothing but the most general and abfolute Conceptions of Things, or their mere Relations to one another, without any Regard to their particular Natures, whether they be fenfible or fpiritual. And it is to this kind of Conceptions we more properly give the Name of abstracted Ideas as in the first Section of this Chapter.

An univerfal Idea is either general or special.

A general Idea is called by the Schools a Genus; and it is one common Nature agreeing to several other common Natures. So Animal is a Genus, because it agrees to Horfe, Lion, Whale, Butterfly, which are also common Ideas; fo Fish is a Genus, because it agrees to Trout, Herring, Crab, which are common Natures also.

A fpecial Idea is called by the Schools a Species; it is one common Nature that agrees to feveral fingular individual Beings; fo Horfe is a Special Idea, or a Species, because it agrees to Bucephalus, Trott and Snow-ball. City is a special Idea, for it agrees to London, Paris, Bristol.

Note, Ift, Some of these Universals are Genus's, if compared with lefs common Natures; and they are Species's, if compared with Natures more common. So Bird is a Genus, if compared with Eagle, Sparrow, Raven, which are also common Natures: But it is a Species, if compared with the more general Nature, Animal. The fame may be faid of Fish, Beast, &c.

This fort of univerfal Ideas, which may either be confidered as a Genus, or a Species, is called Subaltern: But the higheft Genus, which is never a Species, is called the most general; and the loweft Species, which is never a Genus, is called the moft special.

It may be observed here alfo, that that general Nature or Property wherein one thing agrees with

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most other things is called its more remote Genus : So Substance is the remote Genus of Bird, or Beast, because it agrees not only to all kinds of Animals, but also to things inanimate, as Sun, Stars, Clouds, Metals, Stones, Air, Water, &c. But Animal is the proximate or nearest Genus of Bird, because it agrees to fewest other things. Those general Natures which stand between the nearest and most re. mote are called Intermediate.

Note, IIdly, In universal Ideas it is proper to consider their Comprehension and their Extension".

The Comprebension of an Idea regards all the essential Modes and Properties of it: So Body in its Comprehension takes in Solidity, Figure, Quantity, Mobility, &c. So a Bowl in its Comprehension includes Roundness, Volubility, &c.

The Extension of an universal Idea regards all the particular Kinds and single Beings that are contained under it. So a Body in its Extension includes Sun, Moon, Star, Wood, Iron, Plant, Animal, &c. which are several Species, or Individuals, under the general Name of Body. So a Bowl, in its Extension, includes a wooden Bowl, a brass Bowl, a while and Black Bowl, a heavy Bowl, &c. and all kinds of Bowls, together with all the particular individual Bowls in the World.

Note, The Comprehension of an Idea is sometimes taken in fo large a Sense, as not only to include the essential Attributes, but all the Properties, Modes, and Relations whatsoever, that belong to any Being, as will appear Chap. VI.

This Account of Genus and Species is part of that famous Doctrine of Universals, which is taught in the Schools, with divers other Formalities belonging to it ; for it is in this Place that they in

Noe, The Word Extension here is taken in a merę logical Sgnse, and not in a pbysical and marbemancal Sense

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