

THINGS DENOTED BY NAMES. 67 



thought ; though at the present time all the objects 

 are alike non-existent. 



In like manner, a Sensation is to be carefully dis- 

 tinguished from the object which causes the sensation ; 

 our sensation of white from a white object ; nor is it 

 less to be distinguished from the attribute whiteness, 

 which we ascribe to the object in consequence of its 

 exciting the sensation. Unfortunately for clearness 

 and due discrimination in considering these subjects, 

 our sensations seldom receive separate names. We 

 have a name for the objects which produce in us a 

 certain sensation ; the word white. We have a name 

 for the quality in those objects, to which we ascribe 

 the sensation ; the name whiteness. But when we 

 speak of the sensation itself, (as we have not occasion 

 to do this often except in our philosophical specula- 

 tions,) language, which adapts itself for the most part 

 only to the common uses of life, has provided us with 

 no single-worded or immediate designation; we must 

 employ a circumlocution, and say, The sensation of 

 white, or The sensation of whiteness ; we must denomi- 

 nate the sensation either from the object, or from the 

 attribute, by which it is excited. Yet the sensation, 

 though it never does, might very well be conceived to 

 exist, without anything whatever to excite it. We can 

 conceive it as arising spontaneously in the mind. But 

 if it so arose, we should have no name to denote it which 

 would not be a misnomer. In the case of our sensations 

 of hearing we are better provided ; we have the word 

 Sound, and a whole vocabulary of words to denote the 

 various kinds of sounds. For as we are often con- 

 scious of these sensations in the absence of any per- 

 ceptible object, we can more easily conceive having them 

 in the absence of any object whatever. We need only 

 shut our eyes and listen to music, to have a conception 



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