Epistemology: Percption- 06. Locke on Primary and Secondary Qualities Flashcards
What is Sense Data?
The immediate object of our experience for indirect realists; it is private and personal and only exists while being perceived.
Sense datum are caused by and represent real-world objects.
What are Primary Qualities?
Qualities that are ‘inseparable’ from a physical objects and therefore mind indpendant
They include properties such as extension, shape, motion, number, and solidity.
What are Secondary Qualities?
Qualities that are nothing but powers to produce various sensations in us, dispositional qualities
‘really nothing but powers to produce various sensations in us by their
primary qualities’.
## Footnote
Examples include colors, sounds, tastes, smells, and temperature.
What are Simple Ideas?
Fundamental building blocks of knowledge derived from sensory experiences that cannot be broken down further.
Examples include ideas of color, sound, taste, and texture.
What are Complex Ideas?
Ideas constructed by combining and associating multiple simple ideas.
For example, the idea of a ‘tree’ combines ideas of color, shape, and texture.
What is the nature of primary qualities according to Locke?
They are properties that are ‘utterly inseparable’ from an object and exist in the object itself regardless of perception.
Examples include size, shape, motion, number, and solidity.
What is the problem with secondary qualities?
They are argued to be mind-dependent, as their perception can vary based on the observer.
For example, temperature can feel different depending on whether a hand is warm or cold.
Fill in the blank: A quality is a ______ of an object to produce an idea in the mind.
power
True or False: Primary qualities can change regardless of the object’s state.
False
What did Locke argue about the mind’s processing of ideas?
The mind actively processes and links simple ideas to form complex ideas.
This reflects the creative power of the mind in organizing and interpreting sensory information.
What is an example of a secondary quality?
Color
It is experienced in vision and relates to how an object is perceived.
What are the five primary qualities identified by Locke?
- Extension (size)
- Shape
- Motion
- Number
- Solidity
According to Locke, how do secondary qualities differ from primary qualities?
Secondary qualities are relational properties that depend on the observer’s perception, while primary qualities exist independently of perception.
