Factasia UP

Index for Chapter I

No Innate Speculative Principles

1. The way shown how we come by any knowledge, sufficient to prove it not innate.
2. General assent the great argument.
3. Universal consent proves nothing innate.
4. "What is, is," and "It is impossible for the same thing to be and not to be," not universally assented to.
5. Not on the mind naturally imprinted, because not known to children, idiots, &c.
6. That men know them when they come to the use of reason, answered.
7. Doubtful expressions, that have scarce any signification, go for clear reasons to those who, being prepossessed, take not the pains to examine even what they themselves say.
8. If reason discovered them, that would not prove them innate.
9. It is false that reason discovers them.
10. No use made of reasoning in the discovery of these two maxims.
11. And if there were, this would prove them not innate.
12. The coming to the use of reason not the time we come to know these maxims.
13. By this they are not distinguished from other knowable truths.
14. If coming to the use of reason were the time of their discovery it would not prove them innate.
15. The steps by which the mind attains several truths.
16. Assent to supposed innate truths depends on having clear and distinct ideas of what their terms mean, and not on their innateness.
17. Assenting as soon as proposed and understood, proves them not innate.
18. If such an assent be a mark of innate, then "that one and two are equal to three, that sweetness is not bitterness," and a thousand the like, must be innate.
19. Such less general propositions known before these universal maxims.
20. "One and one equal to Two, &c
21. These maxims not being known sometimes till proposed, proves them not innate.
22. Implicitly known before proposing, signifies that the mind is capable of understanding them, or else signifies nothing.
23. The argument of assenting on first hearing, is upon a false supposition of no precedent teaching.
24. Not innate, because not universally assented to.
25. These maxims not the first known.
26. And so not innate.
27. Not innate, because they appear least where what is innate shows itself clearest.
28. Recapitulation.

UP converted to HTML for Factasia by RBJ first edition 1994/10/29 last modified 1999/8/31