Identity and Diversity, Book 2, Chapter 27, pps. 241-247

In this section of book two, Locke is describing the differences of identity and diversity. He explains that when you see something for the first time you identify it as that. When you see it at a later time, you compare it to the last time you saw it and that is the diversity. For example, say you went to college with someone so they are about 20 years old say and then 10 to 15 years pass by and you run into them. You can identify them (maybe, haha) or recognize them but chances are, they look different. Those differences are diverse ideas.

Later, Locke says that there is identity of the same man. What he means by this is that people are identified as people. Girls are identified as girls. Boys are indentified as boys. Parrots are identified as parrots and so on. You can identify each kind as its own but when you have girls, boys, parrots, insects etc. grouped together they are diverse ideas. An example is like a University. In a university, there are professors, students, girls, boys, students who come from another country etc. There is diversity. The point is that one can identify a thing as something but when everything is put together like say the world it is very diverse.