Explore "A Treatise of Human Nature" by David Hume on Textopian. Read with annotations and highlights.
A very material question has been started concerning ABSTRACT or GENERAL ideas, WHETHER THEY BE GENERAL OR PARTICULAR IN THE MIND'S CONCEPTION OF THEM. A great philosopher [3] has disputed the received opinion in this particular, and has asserted, that all general ideas are nothing but particular ones, annexed to a certain term, which gives them a more extensive signification, and makes them recall upon occasion other individuals, which are similar to them. As I look upon this to be one of the greatest and most valuable discoveries that has been made of late years in the republic of letters, I shall here endeavour to confirm it by some arguments, which I hope will put it beyond all doubt and controversy.
[3] Dr. Berkeley. [Introd.: to ‘Principles of Human Knowledge,' secs. 18 &c. Cf. also Introd. to this volume paragraphs 183 and ff.-Ed.]