2017-01-10Tu

Lecture 11 - Locke

Empiricism: all ideas are derived from reason; against innate

ideas; tabula rasa

Locke wants to tread a line between certainty and scepticism

how can we talk about knowledge while trying to avoid extreme
scepticism and speculation
Clarify the prospects of scientific knowledge & moral knowledge
humans arent ultimately suited to knowing the ultimate truth, so
we arent suited to finding absolute certainty but were suited
to the certainty of moral knowledge
Trying to find the nature of substance was very important during
the 17th century
Wants to develop theory of human relation; carve of human
primary & secondary distinction, the mind-body relation and
personal identity

Lockes View of ideas

All ideas come from sensation (senses and experience) and
reflection (a process of thinking, a result of having an
experience)
Sensation we get simple ideas from external objects (vibrations
from the objects which hit our senses and from them we can
form ideas from these sensible qualities)
o We could just touch things, but can perceive things far
away with sight, and smell & hear things that are
intangible
Reflection about how the mind reacts to these ideas, the
process of thinking produces psychological ideas; the various
operations in the mind allow us to take simple ideas and make
them into complex ideas (this is what reflection does)
o We dont actively think about the different qualities a thing
has, we take in these simple ideas and it gets turned into
the complex idea of the thing in front of us

Innate ideas
Cant have them because we dont agree on everything, people
debate and disagree
Cant have them because we all have the capacity doesnt
result in the fallow through (the gaining/applications of those
ideas)
 Theres no evidence for innate ideas, whereas there is evidence
against it

Substance
How do we get a notion of substance where does it come from?
L says that we get an idea of substance by combining these
various simple ideas the notion is a product of our
psychological ability to take simple ideas and essentially make
them into objects
Without a notion of substance, we have no idea
Material substances (e.g. bodies) we definitely have a notion of
this, L says that we also have a notion of immaterial
substance (e.g. spirit) so it is likely they exist??
Thinks that material substances is where our sensations come
from and the immaterial substances are what do the reflection
that creates complex ideas
Ideas Are Based on Three Things: Primary qualities, secondary
qualities, notion of powers
o Forming ideas is an active process that is set in motion by
a power, which makes the process happen those 3
things essentially combine to create material substances
Our mind being able to think gives us the ability to think that
there are immaterial substances at all
Power here, can mean will the power to want to walk across the
room and being able to is the same as being able to experience
material substances
The process of reflection becomes a power and we become
conscious sof our ability to do so, but its not an innate idea

Knowledge
??Sensible Knowledge knowledge from senses/experience
Intuitive Knowledge immediate perception of agreement
between ideas, you know immediately it is true
Demonstrative Knowledge
Sensitive Knowledge is knowledge that is possible but can
never be certain; its really just probability
o There are degrees of this however, your understanding of
the limits of a computer is different from how much snow
you think is outside
 Knowledge with respect to probability undermines the idea that
science can enlarge our knowledge of nature in any definitive
way, it can enhance the probablility correct assumptions or
knowledge, but it cant be certain
o We are not capable of penetrating into the absolute nature
of things

Morality & Moral Knowledge

Scientific knowledge cant be certain but can be certain about
moral knowledge
Morality is the true science of humanity morality arose from a
social contract
L thinks that morality is based on divine laws, and these are
discernable based on reason; and because theyre from God,
theyre obligatory (and have normative force)
All good and evil is ultimately reducible to specific kinds of
pleasure and pain
o Sanctions(?) the idea is that doing bad is punished by
pain and doing good is rewarded with pleasure a certain
amount of normative force comes from this
o Our reason isnt enough to do good/bad things, we have
these sanctions (punishments/rewards) for our actions