An Essay Concerning Human Understanding

An Essay Concerning Human Understanding is John Locke's study of the origins, extent, and limits of human knowledge. First published in 1689 with a 1690 title page, its four books examine ideas, words, knowledge, and belief. Locke distinguishes sensation from reflection and considers how unclear language can obstruct sound judgment. The work's patient attention to definitions and evidence makes the conduct of reasoning part of its subject, as well as its method.