4/14/22, 11:16 AM 1.

4: John Locke’s (1632–1704) Essay Concerning Human Understanding (1689) - Humanities LibreTexts

1.4: John Locke’s (1632–1704) Essay Concerning Human Understanding (1689)

The Project of the Essay
Against Innate Knowledge
Ideas and their Origin
Simple ideas
Primary and Secondary Qualities
Complex Ideas
Substance/substratum
Natural kinds
Body
Mind
Personal Identity
The Limits of Knowledge
God
As Locke admits, his Essay is something of a mess, from an editorial point of view. What follows are what I take to be some of the most
important passages from the book, grouped under topical headings in an attempt to make a coherent and systematic whole. Parts and
headings are given in bold and are purely my invention. Section headings are given in italics, and are Locke’s. Otherwise, all material in
italics is mine, not Locke’s. ‘…’ indicates an omission.
The Essay is organized into Books, Chapters, and Sections. The start of each section cites book.chapter.section. For example, ‘I.i.5’ means
Book I, chapter i, section 5.
(Textual note: the standard edition of the Essay is that of P.H. Nidditch (Oxford, 1975); but Roger Woolhouse’s Penguin edition is
superior in some respects.)
<!–The headings are as follows:

A. The Project

B. Against Innate Knowledge

C. Ideas and their Origin

D. Simple Ideas

E. Primary and Secondary Qualities

F. Complex Ideas

G. Substance/substratum

H. Natural Kinds

I. Body

J. Mind

K. Personal Identity

L. The Limits of Knowledge

M. God–>

The Project of the Essay

(From The Epistle to the Reader) Were it fit to trouble thee with the history of 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 understandings were, or were
not, fitted to deal with. …
The commonwealth of learning is not at this time without master-builders, whose mighty designs, in advancing the sciences,
will leave lasting monuments to the admiration of posterity: but every one must not hope to be a Boyle or a Sydenham; and in
an age that produces such masters as the great Huygenius and the incomparable Mr. Newton, with some others of that strain,
it is ambition enough to be employed as an under-labourer in clearing the ground a little, and removing some of the rubbish
that lies in the way to knowledge …

(From I.i.1—An Inquiry into the Understanding pleasant and useful) Since it is the understanding that sets man above the rest of
sensible beings, and gives him all the advantage and dominion which he has over them; it is certainly a subject, even for its

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