Epistemology: Locke

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Epistemology Locke

• Introduction to Philosophy
• Weber State University
• Spring 2007

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Traditional Epistemology

• Foundational all of our knowledge is founded on
  one basic class of things.

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Anchor Points of Empiricism

• The only source of knowledge is sense experience
• Reason is unreliable for knowledge unless it is
  grounded in sense experience and
• There is no evidence for nativism.

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Descartes vs. Locke

• Descartess epistemology deduction
• No new information given in the conclusion that
  is not already contained in the premises.
• Lockes epistemology induction
• New information is provided in the conclusion
  that is not contained in the premises.

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Lockes Theory of Justification

• If Descartess theory leads to skepticism, then
  weaken the justification condition.
• We should not require indefeasible evidence but
  just good evidence (degrees of assent).
• S must believe that p, p must be true, and there
  must be good evidence for p.

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Locke and Experience

• Locke regards contingent truths as the model of
  knowledge
• All knowledge is derived from experience
• Knowledge is stored in the mind as a collection
  of ideas every piece of knowledge is composed of
  materials that come from experience
• Experience includes sensation and reflection

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Nativism

• Innate ideas ideas already born into us.
• Descartes accepts the notion of innate ideas,
  while Locke rejects it, in favor of the tabula
  rasa.
• Rationalists, generally speaking, accept innate
  ideas.
• Plato, Leibniz, Spinoza, Descartes

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Lockean Terminology

• Sensation color specks in the visual field
• Ideas immediate objects of intentionality
• consciousness is consciousness of something
• Quality properties of things
• red-ness, round-ness, heavy-ness, etc.

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Locke on Ideas

• Ideas are anything that is the immediate object
  of perception, thought, or understanding.
• Simple ideas the most simple and original atoms
  of thought
• Complex ideas combinations of simple ideas that
  can be treated as unified objects

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Components of Simple Ideas

• Ideas of sensation the ideas we have of such
  qualities as yellow, white, heat, cold, soft,
  hard, bitter, and sweet.
• Ideas of reflection ideas gained from our ideas
  of our own mental operation.

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Formulations of Complex Ideas

• Compounding the unification of two or more
  simple ideas, e.g., planets, stars, galaxies
  the universe.
• Relating the ability to compare two or more
  relata, e.g., S is taller than R, X is to the
  left of Y.
• Abstracting the movement of thought from
  particulars to universals, types, e.g., apes,
  humans, cows, horses to mammals.

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Primary vs. Secondary Qualities

• Primary qualities intrinsic qualities of the
  object (spatial, weight, shape, etc.)
• Secondary qualities ordinary properties of
  objects (color, taste, sound, etc.)

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Causal Theory of Perception

• The primary qualities of objects impress
  themselves upon our minds. (premise)
• Objects produce in us the different sensations we
  have of their colors and smells, etc. (premise)
• Hence, primary and secondary qualities of objects
  impress themselves upon our minds. (1,2)