

NEW ESSAYS 357 



indiscernibles and the indestructibility of souls, as well as 

 their inseparability from bodies, (c) The next question con- 

 sidered is that of atoms and the void (in which Locke believes) as 

 against a plenum (Leibniz's view) (pp. 385 sqq.). (d) References 

 to the criticism of Locke by Stillingfleet lead to a consideration 

 of the question whether matter can think, Locke maintaining 

 the possibility of this, while Stillingfleet and Leibniz deny it 

 (PP- 39 sqq.-)' This gives occasion to Leibniz to draw a 

 distinction between .the physical or real genus of a thing 

 and its logical or ideal genus (p. 394), and in the remainder 

 of the Introduction he applies this distinction, maintaining 

 that as matter and soul are heterogeneous (i.e. not of the 

 same physical or real genus), thinking, which is a mode of 

 soul, cannot be a mode of matter, except by miracle, and that 

 accordingly, if Locke's contention were true, we should have 

 to adopt a philosophy of unintelligible qualities or faculties, 

 which would be even worse than the Scholastic theories of 

 ' occult ' qualities or faculties, so justly derided by later 

 thinkers. 



INTRODUCTION. 



As the Essay on the Understanding 2 , by an illustrious 

 Englishman, is one of the best and most highly esteemed 

 works of the present time, I have resolved to make some 

 remarks upon it, because, having for a long time given 

 considerable attention to the same subject and to most of 

 the matters with which the essay deals, I have thought 

 that this would be a good occasion for publishing some 

 of my opinions under the title of New Essays on the 

 Understanding, in the hope that my thoughts will obtain 

 a favourable 3 reception through appearing in such good 

 company. I have hoped also to be able to profit by the 

 work of another, not only in the way of lessening my 

 own work (as in fact it is less trouble to follow the 

 thread of a good author than to work on entirely un- 

 trodden ground) 4 , but also in the way of adding some- 



2 E. reads 'human understanding.' 



3 E. reads ' more favourable.' 



4 E. omits the clause in brackets. 



