In Liebniz' New Essays Concerning Human Understanding, he deals with the philosophy of John Locke. One point in particular receives attention at the beginning of the work: can one think without being aware of ones thought? If the answer is yes, that there are a seething mass of thoughts within us that are only hinted at in the edges of our conscious awareness, this would have huge ramifications for philosophical psychologists such as Nietzsche. It would also weaken the strong claim of rationalism, that the world can be represented systematically. How can we understand the world explicitly if we can't understand ourselves? Here is Liebniz, through his character Philalathes, on the subject:
Bear in mind that we do think of many things all at once, but pay heed only to the thoughts that stand out most distinctly. That is inevitable; for if we were to take note of everything, we should have to direct our attention on an infinity of things at the same time - things which impress themselves on our senses and which are all sensed by us. And I would go further: something remains of all our past thoughts, none of which can ever be entirely wiped out. When we are in a dreamless sleep, or when we are dazed by some blow or a fall or a symptom of an illness or other mishap, an infinity of small, confused sensations occur in us. Death itself cannot affect the souls of animals in any way but that' they must certainly regain their distinct perceptions sooner or later, for in nature everything is orderly.
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