e from common sense as that
seems to be. There has been a late excellent and deservedly esteemed
philosopher who, no doubt, has given it very much countenance, by
seeming to think the having abstract general ideas is what puts the
widest difference in point of understanding betwixt man and beast.
'The having of general ideas,' saith he, 'is that which puts a perfect
distinction betwixt man and brutes, and is an excellency which the
faculties of brutes do by no means attain unto. For, it is evident
we observe no footsteps in them of making use of general signs for
universal ideas; from which we have reason to imagine that they have not
the faculty of abstracting, or making general ideas, since they have
no use of words or any other general signs.' And a little after:
'Therefore, I think, we may suppose that it is in this that the species
of brutes are discriminated from men, and it is that proper difference
wherein they are wholly separated, and which at last widens to so wide a
distance. For, if they have any ideas at all, and are not bare machines
(as some would have them), we cannot deny them to have some reason. It
seems as evident to me that they do, some of them, in certain instances
reason as that they have sense; but it is only in particular ideas, just
as they receive them from their senses. They are the best of them tied
up within those narrow bounds, and have not (as I think) the faculty
to enlarge them by any kind of abstraction.* ("Essay on Human
Understanding," Bk. II, chap. xi, paragraphs 10 and 11.) I readily agree
with this learned author, that the faculties of brutes can by no means
attain to abstraction. But, then, if this be made the distinguishing
property of that sort of animals, I fear a great many of those that
pass for men must be reckoned into their number. The reason that is here
assigned why we have no grounds to think brutes have abstract general
ideas is, that we observe in them no use of words or any other general
signs; which is built on this supposition-that the making use of words
implies the having general ideas. From which it follows that men who use
language are able to abstract or generalize their ideas. That this is
the sense and arguing of the author will further appear by his answering
the question he in another place puts: 'Since all things that exist are
only particulars, how come we by general terms?' His answer is: 'Words
become general by being made the signs of general ideas.'