Interpretating Locke's Distinctions Between Primary and Secondary Qualities

To effectively evaluate interpretations of Locke’s distinction between primary qualities and secondary qualities it is imperative to understand the definitions he applies to each respective term. The foundation of Locke’s argument(s) and interpretation(s) hinges on the acknowledgement of this distinction. Locke describes primary qualities as “utterly inseparable from the body,” and that they additionally have the ability to “produce simple ideas in us” (The Empiricists, page 19). Locke also notes that primary qualities of an object often relate to “solidity, extension, figure, motion or rest, and number” (The Empiricists, page 19). Meanwhile, Locke notes secondary qualities as “such qualities which in truth are nothing in the objects themselves but powers to produce various sensations in us by their primary qualities” (The Empiricists, page 19). Locke adds that color, sounds, and taste are some aspects that constitute secondary qualities. The correct interpretation of Locke’s distinction between primary and secondary qualities is the “Explanatorily fundamental properties vs. non-fun...