An Essay Concerning Human Understanding

Structure and Organization

John Locke's «An Essay Concerning Human Understanding» is composed of four books. The first book is dedicated to critiquing the theory of innate ideas and asserts that all knowledge comes from experience. The second book examines ideas and their origins, emphasizing the distinction between simple and complex ideas. The third book focuses on language and the meaning of words, exploring how words signify ideas and how this affects understanding. The fourth book analyzes the nature of knowledge, its limits, and degree of certainty, discussing various types of knowledge and belief. Each book is divided into chapters that thoroughly explore the relevant topics.