Criticism of Notion of Innate Ideas
John Locke’s question about epistemology or metaphysics was what is our origin of knowledge of nature and moral. Also what things we can be certain they are knowledge.
Locke denied the rationalist notion of innate ideas. The reason of the notion of innate ideas is all men already have ideas by nature. But Locke thought children don’t know complex ideas like law of contradiction or law of excluded middle. Even ideas of justice or the God should be known or made by knowledge or thinking. All of ideas must be made by men through a path. Locke named the path experience .
Locke’s Epistemology
Sensations such as white, sweet and rough we feel by the five senses, Locke called impression . The stuff, temporary impression is fixed, Locke called idea .
Human mind at birth is a tabula rasa (blank slate). Sense and reflection as workings of mind describe ideas on tabula rasa. Sense produces ideas about external things such as white, black, hot or cool. Reflection produces ideas about function of mind such as thinking, perception or will.
Ideas given by sense and reflection, are named simple ideas . The mind makes a complex idea by some simple ideas.
Locke confirmed intuitive knowledge and demonstrative knowledge based on mutual comparison among ideas are certain, and established the basis of empirical science.
Substance and Primary Quality / Secondary Quality
Locke limited certain knowledge is made by ideas on the range of perception.
Although Locke insisted substances and the God are exist in the outside of mind. Primary quantities are objective qualities such as solid body, extension or motion. Secondary qualities are qualities of which primary qualities affect a mind and associated by/in mind.
Locke’s notion of substances and qualities may be a remain of Descartes’ dualism or his desire for the truth (correspondence between subject and object).
References
Jean-François Revel, Histoire de la philosophie occidentale (Nil Éditions, 1994)
Luc Ferry & Claude Capelier, La plus belle histoire de la philosophie (Éditions Points, 2014)
Roger-Pol Droit, Une brève histoire de la philosophie (Flammarion, 2008)
Bertrand Russell, The History of Western Philosophy (Simon & Schuster, 1972)
Nigel Warburton, A Little History of Philosophy (Yale University Press, 2011)
Roger Scruton, A Short History of Modern Philosophy (Routledge, 2002)
Gen Kida, History of Anti-Philosophy (Kodansha Academic Library, 2000)
Seiji Takeda & Ken Nishi, The First Histoty of Philosophy: To Think Profoundly (Yuhikaku, 1998)
Shigeto Nuki, Illustrated & Standard History of Philosophy (Shinshokan, 2008)
Shigeto Nuki, Philosophy Map (Chikuma New Books, 2004)
Sumihiko Kumano, The History of Western Philosophy: From The Modern Ages to The Present Day (Iwanami New Books, 2006)
Thierry Paquot & François Pépin, Dictionnaire Larousse de la Philosophie (Éditions Larousse, 2011)
Simon Blackburn, The Oxford Dictionary of Philosophy (Second Edition Revised), (Oxford University Press, 2008)
Robert Audi, The Cambridge Dictionary of Philosophy (Second Edition), (Cambridge University Press, 1995)
Thomas Mautner, The Penguin Dictionary of Philosophy (Second Edition), (Penguin Books, 2005)
Related Posts and Pages
Note | Berkeley’s Subjective Idealism
Note | Hume’s Skeptical Empiricism
Note | Philosophy of René Descartes