But whether they will succeed again another time, we
cannot be certain. This hinders our certain knowledge of universal
truths concerning natural bodies: and our reason carries us herein
very little beyond particular matter of fact.
26. Hence no science of bodies within our reach. And therefore I
am apt to doubt that, how far soever human industry may advance useful
and experimental philosophy in physical things, scientifical will
still be out of our reach: because we want perfect and adequate
ideas of those very bodies which are nearest to us, and most under our
command. Those which we have ranked into classes under names, and we
think ourselves best acquainted with, we have but very imperfect and
incomplete ideas of. Distinct ideas of the several sorts of bodies
that fall under the examination of our senses perhaps we may have: but
adequate ideas, I suspect, we have not of any one amongst them. And
though the former of these will serve us for common use and discourse,
yet whilst we want the latter, we are not capable of scientifical
knowledge; nor shall ever be able to discover general, instructive,
unquestionable truths concerning them. Certainty and demonstration are
things we must not, in these matters, pretend to. By the colour,
figure, taste, and smell, and other sensible qualities, we have as
clear and distinct ideas of sage and hemlock, as we have of a circle
and a triangle: but having no ideas of the particular primary
qualities of the minute parts of either of these plants, nor of
other bodies which we would apply them to, we cannot tell what effects
they will produce; nor when we see those effects can we so much as
guess, much less know, their manner of production.
Pages:
811
812
813
814
815
816
817
818
819
820
821
822
823
824
825
826
827
828
829
830
831
832
833
834
835