NAMES. 35 



modern times, which, if not introduced by Locke, has 

 gained currency chiefly from his example, of applying 

 the expression " abstract name" to all names which 

 are the result of abstraction or generalization, and 

 consequently to all general names, instead of confining 

 it to the names of attributes. The metaphysicians of 

 the Condillac school, whose admiration of Locke, 

 passing over the profoundest speculations of that 

 truly original genius, usually fastens with peculiar 

 eagerness upon his weakest points, have gone on 

 imitating him in this abuse of language, until there 

 is now some difficulty in restoring the word to its ori- 

 ginal signification. A more wanton alteration in the 

 meaning of a word is rarely to be met with ; for the 

 expression general name, the exact equivalent of which 

 exists in all languages I am acquainted with, was 

 already available for the purpose to which abstract 

 has been misappropriated, while the misappropriation 

 leaves that important class of words, the names of 

 attributes, without any compact distinctive appella- 

 tion. The old acceptation, however, has not gone so 

 completely out of use, as to deprive those who still 

 adhere to it of all chance of being understood. By 

 abstract, then, I shall always mean the opposite of 

 concrete : by an abstract name, the name of an attri- 

 bute ; by a concrete name, the name of an object. 



Do abstract names belong to the class of general, 

 or to that of singular names? Some of them are 

 certainly general. I mean those which are names not 

 of one single and definite attribute, but of a class of 

 attributes. Such is the word colour, which is a name 

 common to whiteness, redness, &c. Such is even the 

 word whiteness, in respect of the different shades of 

 whiteness to which it is applied in common ; the 

 word magnitude, in respect of the various degrees of 



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