The culmination of this work lies in its fourth book, which states that knowledge is "short and scanty," and that life requires the formation of beliefs on matters where knowledge is unavailable.  
Its first book is a polemic against the doctrine of innate principles and ideas.  Its second book deals with ideas, and the third with words.  The culmination of this work lies in its fourth book, which states that knowledge is "short and scanty," and that life requires the formation of beliefs on matters where knowledge is unavailable.  The idea for this work came from a discussion the author had with several friends about morality and knowledge at the apartments of Lord Shaftesbury.  FTP, identify this 1689 philosophical treatise by John Locke.
Its first book is a polemic against the doctrine of innate principles and ideas.  
Essay Concerning Human Understanding