Index for Chapter X - Of the Abuse of Words

1. Woeful abuse of words.

2. Words are often employed without any, or without clear ideas.

3. II.

4. This occasioned by men learning names before they have the ideas the names belong to.

5. Unsteady application of them.

6. III.

7. Logic and dispute have much contributed to this.

8. Calling it "subtlety.

9. This learning very little benefits society.

10. But destroys the instruments of knowledge and communication.

11. As useful as to confound the sounds that the letters of the alphabet stand for.

12. This art has perplexed religion and justice.

14. IV.

15. Instance, in matter.

16. This makes errors lasting.

17. V.

18. V.

19. Hence we think change of our complex ideas of substances not to change their species.

20. The cause of this abuse, a supposition of nature's working always regularly, in setting boundaries to species.

21. This abuse contains two false suppositions.

22. VI.

23. The ends of language:

24. To do it with quickness.

25. Therewith to convey the knowledge of things.

26. How men's words fail in all these:

27. When complex ideas are without names annexed to them.

28. When the same sign is not put for the same idea.

29. When words are diverted from their common use.

30. When they are names of fantastical imaginations.

31. Summary.

32. How men's words fail when they stand for substances.

33. How when they stand for modes and relations.

34. Seventhly, language is often abused by figurative speech.