“The acts of the mind, wherein it exerts its power over simple ideas, are principally these three: 1. Combining several simple ideas into one compound one, and thus all complex ideas are made. 2. The second is bringing two ideas, whether simple or complex, together and setting them by one another so as to take a view of them at once, without uniting them into one, by which way it gets all its ideas of relations. 3. The third is separating them from all other ideas that accompany them in their real existence. This is called abstraction and thus all its general ideas are made.”

Simplified Meaning:

Our minds can do three main things with ideas. First, we can put together simple ideas to create more detailed and complex ones. Imagine how we combine simple blocks to build a castle. Second, we can compare two ideas side by side without mixing them. This helps us understand how they are related. For instance, if you look at an apple and an orange next to each other, you can see both similarities and differences without merging them into one fruit. Third, we can focus on an idea by removing details that aren't important at the moment, allowing us to think in general terms. It's like when you think of a 'dog' in general, not a specific dog you know, but the idea of any dog. Together, these abilities help us better understand and create new thoughts, solve problems, and learn about the world around us. Knowing how to use these mental tools can make our thinking clearer and more flexible in different situations.