John Lockes Theory of Knowledge Essay - 1878 Words

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†¦show more content†¦After the accession of William of Orange, he returned to England, retired to private life, and dedicated himself to his studies. He died in 1704. Locke is a representative of the English culture of his time. With a mind open to the most varied problems, Locke was a philosopher, a doctor of medicine, and educator, a politician and a man of action. Lockes principal works, in chronological order, are: Treatises on Government; Essay Concerning Human Understanding (his masterpiece); Thoughts on Education. III. Epistemology: Origin of Knowledge Descartes had admitted that some some ideas are innate in the intellect. Locke dedicated the first book of his Essay Concerning Human Understanding to a refutation of Descartes innatism. If we had innate ideas, says Locke, we would be conscious of having them. But it is an undeniable fact that children, savages, the unlearned, are not conscious of having innate ideas; they acquire knowledge during the course of a lifetime. It is impossible that anyone should have knowledge of something of which he is not conscious. Furthermore, experience teaches that certain moral principles and the notion of God, far from being innate, vary with different people and at different times. Hence there exists no innate idea; our intellect, at the first moment of its being, is a tabula rasa, a clean sheet of paper on which nothing has yet been written. All impressions we later find thereon (which for LockeShow MoreRelatedJohn Lockes Theory of Knowledge Essay1563 Words   |  7 PagesJohn Locke (1632-1704) was the first of the classical British empiricists. (Empiricists believed that all knowledge derives from experience. These philosophers were hostile to rationalistic metaphysics, particularly to its unbridled use of speculation, its grandiose claims, and its epistemology grounded in innate ideas) If Locke could account of all human knowledge without making reference to innate ideas, then his theory would be simpler, hence better, than that of Descartes. He wrote, â€Å"Let usRead MoreJohn Lockes Theory of Know ledge Essay1067 Words   |  5 Pages John Locke was an empiricist who believed that people could acquire knowledge from experience. Ideas acted as raw materials and by knowing the relation of the ideas, we got knowledge. All ideas are based on experience but knowledge can also be justified by intuition and demonstration. By sensation and reflection, we get sensitive, intuitive and demonstrative knowledge with different degrees of certainty and ways of evidence. In investigating the two main sources ofRead MoreBusiness Ethics: John Locke Essay1696 Words   |  7 PagesBusiness Ethics: John Locke Business Ethics Business ethics is defined as â€Å"a specialized study of moral right and wrong that focusses on moral standards as they apply to business institutions, organizations, and behavior† (Velasquez, 2014, p.15). Business ethics is the study of moral standards that focusses primarily on how these standards may apply to social systems and/or organizations. For this paper I will be focusing on one of the great minds of business ethics, John Locke, his ideas andRead MoreRenee Pann . Mid Term Essay. John Locke’S Limited Representationalism. March 12, 2017. A. . Do You Ever1417 Words   |  6 PagesRenee Pann Mid Term Essay John Locke’s Limited Representationalism March 12, 2017 A. Do you ever wonder what life is? How we subsist as humans? What is the macrocosm in general? It’s uncanny concept to cogitate, so many explications are out there and we still don’t have the answers we optate. John Locke, who wanted to test those questions was the first modern empiricist we studied. His philosophies were deeply influential on us. Locke argued that, â€Å"the mind represents the external world, but doesRead MoreHow John Locke Inspired Maria Montessori1459 Words   |  6 PagesJOHN LOCKE Every man has a property in his own person. This nobody has a right to, but himself. – John Locke Childhood John Locke was born on August 29, 1632, in Wrington, a village in the English country of Somerset. He was baptized the same day. Soon after his birth, the family moved to the market town of Pensford, about seven miles south of Bristol, where Locke grew up in an old fashioned stone farmhouse . His father was a county lawyer to the Justices of the Peace and his motherRead More John Locke Essay1215 Words   |  5 PagesJohn Locke John Locke is considered to be England’s most prominent philosopher. He was born August 29, 1632 in a small town of Somerset, which is south of Bristol, England. Locke was the oldest of three children. His mother died when he was 22 years old and Locke spoke of her very well. Locke’s father was a Puritan attorney and clerk to a justice of the peace in the town where Locke was born. He was very strict with his son when he was younger. which Locke later believed that parents shouldRead MoreJohn Locke s Theory Of Self And Personal Identity Essay1449 Words   |  6 PagesJohn Locke a seventeenth century Philosopher uses a number of thought experiments in his 1690 account, ’An Essay concerning Human Understanding’. He uses these thought experiments to help explain his definition of the self and personal identity. The thought experiments that are used, go some way in explaining his opinions and in clarifying the role that memory plays in defining the term . Although defining personal identity was and still is a complex subject and not all philosophers share the sameRead More Poes Fall of The House of Usher Essay: Beyond Empiricism and Transcendentalism1482 Words   |  6 Pages      Ã‚   When Edgar Allan Poe wrote The Fall of the House of Usher, two factors greatly influenced his writing. A first influence was John Lockes 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 andRead MoreEssay John Locke943 Words   |  4 Pagesthe most compelling theory of metaphysics. First, I explain Locke’s point that all humans are born as Tabula Rasa, in order to gain basic understanding of where Locke begins his theory. Second, I discuss how Locke argues how we obtain knowledge, empiricism and representationalism, and knowledge about the work varies between strong and weak inferences. Third, I will provide counter examples to Locke’s ideas, and will explain why t hese counter examples work for Locke’s theories provided. Finally, IRead MoreHuman Reasoning John Locke ´s An Essay Concerning Human Understanding1236 Words   |  5 PagesJohn Locke in his prose An Essay Concerning Human Understanding displays an extremely individualistic take on human reason (126). Proposing a perspective that is especially interesting during his time in the 17th century, which catered to a shift towards individual morals and responsibilities - the Puritan movement (Kang). Furthermore, John Locke sees the human mind as a product of one’s own experiences and inherent responsibilities, which is evident not only in his essay, but also in his upbringing