Concept Empiricism Flashcards
What is the main feature of concept empiricism?
All concepts derive from experience
Where does Locke believe concepts derive from?
Reflection
Sensation
What did Hume believe wasn’t derived from sense impressions?
Simple ideas, such as a particular shade of blue
What did Hume believe about Ideas being copied from impressions?
They don’t need to be. Only meaningful is there is a possible impression it is copied from.
What did Locke and Hume believe about complex concepts?
Created out of simple concepts
By combining and abstracting from them
Objection to Locke’s and Hume’s belief about complex concepts
Some complex concepts, such as knowledge aren’t analysed in terms of simple concepts
Main belief of concept innatism?
Some concepts are innate
Part of the structure of the mind
Why does Locke reject innate concepts?
Babies have almost no concepts
No concept is possessed by all humans
Any idea must be new to the mind or remembered
Rejection to Locke’s rejection of innate concepts?
There are concepts that cannot be learned from experience
Experience may be necessary to trigger them
How does Leibniz counter Locke’s rejection of innate concepts
Humans are universally disposed to form the concept of God
All concepts that are derived from reflection are innate
What are universal?
Properties that many particular objects can have
As the same property
What does Plato say about universals?
We only experience particular things
Can’t derive the concepts of universals from sense-expereince
What does Descartes say about the concept of a physical object?
Can’t be derived from its sensory properties
These can change, while the object is the same
E.g. A piece of wax
What does Descartes say the 3 sources of ideas are?
Outside my mind
Invented
Innate
What does Descartes say about causes and effects?
Causes must have at least as much reality as their effect
God has as much reality as what the concept represents
How do Empiricists object to Leibniz?
Concepts that are derived from reflection are not innate.
How do Empiricists object to Plato?
We can form concepts of universals from absracion
How do Empiricists object to Descartes?
The concept of extension is a PQ
What do Berkeley and Hume believe about physical substance?
Not a concept that can be derived from experience
Derives from a confusion between similarity and identity
Objection to Hume’s belief about physical substance?
Lead to scepticism
Empiricist objection to Descartes
Invented the Idea of God
By negating ideas of imperfection and finitudes
How does Descartes reply to the view we invented the idea of God?
Idea of God was positively, not negatively infinite and perfect
What is an objection to Descartes reply?
Isn’t persuasive
Assumption all ideas have a cause.
