John Locke's Theory of Knowledge

1877 Words4 Pages

I. General Notions

Francis Bacon and Thomas Hobbes were not truly conscious of the phenomenalistic consequences of their theory of knowledge, which was based on empiricism. Both considered sensation as phenomenal presentations and also as representations of reality. Thus they still had something upon which to build an absolute metaphysics. With Locke gnosiological phenomenalism enters its critical phase. By considering sensations merely as subjective presentations, Locke gives us a theory of knowledge of subjective data devoid of any relation with external objects. Hence Locke is the first to give us a logic for Empiricism, that is, for sensations considered as phenomena of knowledge.

Such an attitude excludes any consistent metaphysics of objective reality. Locke, however, overlooking everything he has established in his solution to the problem of knowledge, gives us a metaphysics which is not greatly different from the scholastic. He even appeals to the familiar principles of Scholasticism, showing how difficult it is for man to withdraw from the philosophy of being. Berkeley, first, and then David Hume went all the way and reduced being to the status of a subjective phenomenon. In so doing, these two philosophers merely drew the logical conclusions of the gnosiological phenomenalism proposed by John Locke.

II. Life and Works

John Locke was born in 1632 at Wrington, Somersetshire, England. He studied philosophy and the natural sciences at Oxford, and received his doctorate in medicine. Having entered into the graces of Lord Ashley, who later became the Earl of Shaftesbury, Locke held several political offices. Thus he had the opportunity to visit France, where he made the acquaintance of the most representative men of cultur...

... middle of paper ...

...tract. However, he opposes Hobbes by holding that in the state of nature man did not live in a wild condition, in which right was force. Men even at this time were rational and had the notion of the fundamental rights of life, of liberty, property, etc. To better guarantee such rights, man has entered, through means of a contract, into society, and has conceded some of his natural rights to the sovereign, together with the power to defend them.

From man's natural condition to the state of society, there is hence a progression; but no innovation is involved. The sovereign who fails in his obligation to defend the rights of his subjects is no longer justified in his sovereignty and may be dismissed by his subjects.

Locke is considered the founder of liberal politics (classical liberalism), and his influence during the centuries following his lifetime has been great.

Show More
Related

  • Enlightenment Influences on American Ideals

    1182 Words  | 3 Pages

    John Locke, one of the leading philosophers of the European Enlightenment was very important when it came to political thought in the United States. His ideas of the reasons, nature, and limits of the government became especially important in the development of the Constitution. In one of his most famous writings of that time, Two Treatises on Government (1689), Locke established a theory where personal liberty could coexist with political power ; meaning that the people would agree to obey the government and in return, the government would have the responsibility of respecting the people’s natural rights. In other words, he laid out a social contract theory that provided the philosophy and source of a governing author...

    Read More

  • Empiricism In Poe's The Fall Of The House Usher

    1295 Words  | 3 Pages

    A first influence was John Locke’s idea of Empiricism, which was the idea that all knowledge was gained by experiences, exclusively through the senses. A second vital influence was Transcendentalism, which was a reaction to Empiricism. While John Locke believed that reality or truth was constituted by the material world and by the senses, Transcendentalists believed that reality and truth exist within the spiritual or ideal world (Kerry Vermillion & Quinn McCumber).

    Read More

  • The Enlightenment Dbq

    875 Words  | 2 Pages

    One of the most influential Enlightenment thinkers was John Locke, an English philosopher and physician. His work and ideas had a incomputable impact on modern day society. He was known as “Father of Liberalism” due to his opinions of freedoms and liberty. According to Locke, the people were entitled to have control over themselves as long as it adheres to the law. The Second Treatise on Civil Government by John

    Read More

  • What Are The Accomplishments Of John Locke

    521 Words  | 2 Pages

    John Locke was an English Philosopher that laid much of the groundwork for the Enlightenment and made central contributions to the development of Iberalism. John Locke trained in medicine, and was a clear advocate of empirical approaches of the scientific revolution.

    Read More

  • John Locke's Influence on the Founding Fathers

    1463 Words  | 3 Pages

    The Founding Fathers of the United States relied heavily on many of the principles taught by John Locke. Many of the principles of Locke’s Second Treatise of Government may easily be discovered in the Declaration of Independence with some minor differences in wording and order. Many of the ideas of the proper role of government, as found in the Constitution of the United States, may be discovered in the study of Locke. In order to understand the foundation of the United States, it is vital that one studies Locke. A few ideas from Hume may be found but the real influence was from Locke. Rousseau, on the other hand, had none.

    Read More

  • John Locke's Influence On Modern-Day Government

    322 Words  | 1 Pages

    John Locke is considered to be one of the most prominent philosophical & political figures of the era known as the Enlightenment because of his immense contributions to modern-day government. Locke’s beliefs & radical views on how government should serve are expressed through much of his writings. He believed that the government has a moral obligation to serve its people through protecting their natural rights of Life, Liberty, & Property. The beliefs stated in his works contributed to much of the U.S. Declaration of Independence. John Locke played the greatest role in shaping modern-day government through his beliefs & contributions that laid the foundation for our current political system & constitution.

    Read More

  • The Enlightenment and the Declaration of Independence

    415 Words  | 1 Pages

    John Locke was an English philosopher who lived during 1632-1704. In political theory he was equally influential. Contradicting Hobbes, Locke maintained that the original state of nature was happy and characterized by reason and tolerance; all human beings were equal and free to pursue "life, health, liberty, and possessions." The state formed by the social contract was guided by the natural law, which guaranteed those inalienable rights. He set down the policy of checks and balances later followed in the U.S. Constitution; formulated the doctrine that revolution in some circumstances is not only a right but an obligation; and argued for broad religious freedom.

    Read More

  • John Locke's Lasting Impact on Society

    1826 Words  | 4 Pages

    Providing the 17th century world with an alternative, innovative view on philosophy, politics, economics, and education among other interrelated and important aspects of life, John Locke proved to be a person of immense impact. Born in 1632, in Wrington, England, Locke was the author of many known writings which include the Essay Concerning Human Understanding (1689), The Two Treaties of Government (1698), A Letter Concerning Toleration (1689), and Some Thoughts Concerning Education (1693) (Goldie 32). Locke’s writings represent a series of topics involving the purpose of philosophy, the emergence of empiricism, and the role as well as limits of governments and churches in terms of liberty and natural rights. In a time where exposure of such controversial ideas would jeopardize the well-being of an author, it is no wonder that Locke postponed the publishing of his writings until after the Glorious Revolution of 1688. However, what impact did Locke’s ideas have on philosophy?

    Read More

  • Plato and Locke's Views on an Innate Idea

    2119 Words  | 5 Pages

    Locke feels that we do not have any innate ideas.  Then the question arises of

    Read More

  • John Locke: Founding Father of Modern Era Liberalism

    1432 Words  | 3 Pages

    ...at has had the most influence on modern liberalism is John Locke. Although Rousseau displayed some influence in the infrastructure of democracy, his ideology did not reflect modern era liberalism as much as Locke. Also, Thomas Hobbes did not have any influence on modern era liberalism due to his totalitarian perspective. It is clear that Locke’s preference for individual liberty, representative democracy, and inalienable natural rights, reveal his significant role in the development of modern era liberalism.

    Read More

  • John Locke, George Berkeley and David Hume

    1235 Words  | 3 Pages

    John Locke, Berkeley and Hume are all empiricist philosophers that believe in different things. They have things in common such as the three anchor points; The only source of genuine knowledge is sense experience, reason is an unreliable and inadequate route to knowledge unless it is grounded in the solid bedrock of sense experience and there is no evidence of innate ideas within the mind that are known from experience. The relationship between our thoughts and the world around us consisted of concepts which were developed from these philosophers. I have argued that Locke, Berkeley and Hume are three empiricists that have different believes.

    Read More

  • Why George Berkeley Dismissed John Locke

    645 Words  | 2 Pages

    As an undergraduate Berkeley believed that Locke was on the right path to empiricism since Locke stated that our experiences are the source of all of our ideas. Nevertheless, Berkeley believed that Locke did not fully carry out empiricism far enough. With this in mind the theory of perception that states that we are aware of objects only through the meditation of the ideas that represent them, a theory that Locke fully believes in. To put it differently Berkeley believes that Locke’s approach of perception cannot provide a reliable account of connection between ideas and their perspective objects of representation. Moreover according to Berkeley the lack of this connection between ideas and objects are exposed to skepticism and maybe even atheism.

    Read More

  • Compare And Contrast Locke And Descartes

    1153 Words  | 3 Pages

    That everything in our mind is in idea. It all could be developed by human reason, not innate ideas. Locke goes on to describe his theory in order for your mind to gain knowledge humans will have to fill it up their brain with ideas, and learn through their five senses. Since, the innate ideas was not that relevant to Locke he needed to come up with another perceptions. Locke then suggested that external experience called as sensations; this experience which we can attain our knowledge through our senses that we have such as smells, touch and color. In other words, it is about analyses the characteristics of an object. The second kind of experience which Locke mentions is internal experience known as reflection, it is summarize those personal experience such as our thoughts, thinking, and feelings. He says that all knowledge come from sensations or reflection, “These two are the fountains of knowledge, from whence all the ideas we have, or can naturally have,” (page186). Therefore, the sense and observation make up the whole of knowledge. On the contrary, as for Descartes views he believes we do have innate

    Read More

  • The Influence Of John Locke On Personal Identity

    1015 Words  | 3 Pages

    Through this distinction Locke claims that, the questioning of something being identical to another will be relative to the “category” or context we are discussing it in. Without identifying “the category” or classifying the thing we are discussing, it is unreasonable to assume questions or explore

    Read More

  • Business Ethics: John Locke

    1693 Words  | 4 Pages

    John Locke was a British philosopher and Oxford academic and medical researcher. Locke was regarded as one of the most influential thinkers and was known as the “Father of Classical Liberalism”. Locke was considered one of the first of the British empiricists, following the tradition of Francis Bacon, and was equally important to social contract theory. His work significantly influenced the development of epi...

    Read More

More about John Locke's Theory of Knowledge

Open Document