Locke's philosophical masterpiece was begun in 1671 but was not fully published until 1690. In the letter to the reader, Locke recounts a fruitless discussion he had with friends that led him to the idea of preceding such discussions with an examination of the capabilities of the human understanding. The execution of this critical program begins—after the refutation of the traditional doctrine of innate ideas and principles (Book 1)—with the demonstration of the empirical origin of all material of human knowledge (Book 2) and concludes—after a later inserted discussion on language and thought (Book 3)—with a determination of the limits and types of knowledge (Book 4). In addition to a bibliography by R. Brandt, this edition offers a complete translation of all four books.