Human Understanding - John Locke Flashcards
When was he alive?
1632-1704
What was the name of his main publication?
“Essay Concerning Human Understanding” 1690
What did his essay promote?
Materialism - only focus on the primary qualities of objects as these are unchangeable.
What does his publication question?
It questions how we perceive and think of the world.
What does his essay say about knowledge?
That knowledge is unique and subjective to a person.
What is the most important source of human knowledge for Locke?
Experience.
We have no innate knowledge - tabula rasa.
Did Locke make allowances for the supernatural?
No.
Supernatural have no primary qualities so can never be proved to exist.
Why was his rejection of innate ideas seen as heretical?
Because it suggested that it was man, not God, that is responsible for learning.
What belief hindered his anti-magic stance?
He believed astrology could be used for medicine.
The idea of what herbs to have at certain times of the year was based on experience.
How did he strike at the heart of the beliefs?
He left no room for the supernatural as they couldn’t be empirically proved.
