| Now if the senses presented our impressions as external to, and independent of ourselves, both the objects and ourselves must be obvious to our senses, otherwise they coued not be compared by these faculties. |
| The difficulty, then, is how fax we are ourselves the objects of our senses. |
| It is certain there is no question in philosophy more abstruse than that concerning identity, and the nature of the uniting principle, which constitutes a person. |
| So far from being able by our senses merely to determine this question, we must have recourse to the most profound metaphysics to give a satisfactory answer to it; and in common life it is evident these ideas of self and person are never very fixed nor determinate. |
| It is absurd, therefore, to imagine the senses can ever distinguish betwixt ourselves and external objects. |
| Add to this, that every impression, external and internal, passions, affections, sensations, pains and pleasures, are originally on the same footing; and that whatever other differences we may observe among them, they appear, all of them, in their true colours, as impressions or perceptions. |
| And indeed, if we consider the matter aright, it is scarce possible it should be otherwise, nor is it conceivable that our senses should be more capable of deceiving us in the situation and relations, than in the nature of our impressions. |
| For since all actions and sensations of the mind are known to us by consciousness, they must necessarily appear in every particular what they are, and be what they appear. |
| Every thing that enters the mind, being in reality a perception, it is impossible any thing should to feeling appear different. |
| This were to suppose, that even where we are most intimately conscious, we might be mistaken. |
| But not to lose time in examining, whether it is possible for our senses to deceive us, and represent our perceptions as distinct from ourselves, that is as external to and independent of us; let us consider whether they really do so, and whether this error proceeds from an immediate sensation, or from some other causes. |
| To begin with the question concerning EXTERNAL existence, it may perhaps be said, that setting aside the metaphysical question of the identity of a thinking substance, our own body evidently belongs to us; and as several impressions appear exterior to the body, we suppose them also exterior to ourselves. |
| The paper, on which I write at present, is beyond my hand. |
| The table is beyond the paper. |
| The walls of the chamber beyond the table. |
| And in casting my eye towards the window, I perceive a great extent of fields and buildings beyond my chamber. |
| From all this it may be infered, that no other faculty is required, beside the senses, to convince us of the external existence of body. |
| But to prevent this inference, we need only weigh the three following considerations. |
| First, That, properly speaking, it is not our body we perceive, when we regard our limbs and members, but certain impressions, which enter by the senses; so that the ascribing a real and corporeal existence to these impressions, or to their objects, is an act of the mind as difficult to explain, as that which we examine at present. |
| Secondly, Sounds, and tastes, and smelts, though commonly regarded by the mind as continued independent qualities, appear not to have any existence in extension, and consequently cannot appear to the senses as situated externally to the body. |
| The reason, why we ascribe a, place to them, shall be: considered afterwards. |