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An Essay Concerning Humane Understanding, Volume 2 - MDCXC, Based on the 2nd Edition, Books 3 and 4 by John Locke
page 150 of 411 (36%)
men find pleasure to be deceived.




CHAPTER XI.

OF THE REMEDIES OF THE FOREGOING IMPERFECTIONS AND ABUSES OF WORDS.


1. Remedies are worth seeking.

The natural and improved imperfections of languages we have seen above
at large: and speech being the great bond that holds society together,
and the common conduit, whereby the improvements of knowledge are
conveyed from one man and one generation to another, it would well
deserve our most serious thoughts to consider, what remedies are to be
found for the inconveniences above mentioned.


2. Are not easy to find.

I am not so vain as to think that any one can pretend to attempt the
perfect reforming the languages of the world, no not so much as of his
own country, without rendering himself ridiculous. To require that men
should use their words constantly in the same sense, and for none but
determined and uniform ideas, would be to think that all men should have
the same notions, and should talk of nothing but what they have clear
and distinct ideas of: which is not to be expected by any one who hath
not vanity enough to imagine he can prevail with men to be very knowing
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