Since my intention is to investigate the origins, scope and certainty of human understanding, along with the foundations and degrees of beliefs, opinions and feelings, I will not dwell here on physical considerations of the mind, nor will I deal with examining what their sneousness may consist of, or by what alterations of our spirits or our bodies come to have sensations in our organs, or ideas in our understandings, or whether in their formation these ideas depend, or not, some or all, on the subject Essay, Locke
The theory of knowledge becomes with Locke an independent branch of philosophy. His method is, what he calls “historical method”, or a descriptive analysis of what is in the mind, similar to the enumeration and classification that a biologist could do. The task of this analysis will be to understand the scope of our consciousness. Indeed, unlike the rationalist position, Locke will start from conviction regarding the limitation of human knowledge. This does not imply that one should not rely on the cognitive ability of man, but only, limit the claims of universal knowledge.
Where do the ideas come from?
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All ideas come from experience. Regarding this topic, we should point out that Locke distinguishes two kinds of experiences:
External experience: the ideas of man arise when he has the first sensations that come from the external experience.
Internal experience: when the mind reflects on the sensations derived from the external experience (memory, reasoning) the inner experience produces the ideas of reflection.
Both types of ideas are considered by Locke as simple ideas because they are produced by direct experience. When the mind receives them, it behaves passively, but then these ideas are transformed into new ideas, the mind activates and combines them to elaborate complex ideas which are nothing but combinations of simple ideas.
Thus, three cateories of complex ideas emerge:
Modes or Properties
Substances or supports of the modes and
Relationships
Ideas are signs of things in the sense that they are last to communicate ideas to others. Apparently, Locke considered ideas to be independent of words as he argued that you can have ideas and think without the need for words.
Locke defines knowledge not in relation to experience but as “the perception of agreement and connection - or disagreement and rejection - between any of our ideas.”
The agreement between ideas can be:
Identity or diversity
Acquaintance
Coexistence or connection required
Real Existence: Locke's stance could be defined as a critical realism because while we know ideas and not things, it does not question the existence of the real world.
This agreement may be perceived by:
Intuition (immediately)
Demonstration (Mediatamente)
Feeling
In short, this hierarchization of knowledge brings Locke closer to rationalism: intuitive knowledge is the most perfect while sensitive knowledge is the least secure.
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It is interesting to note that, having been Locke the main theorist of absolutism, using the same conceptual elements: law, natural law, contract and nature, forty years later (in the context of the second English revolution) he becomes the ideologue of political liberalism.
In fact, in his writings of youth, Locke identifies the law of nturaleza with the divine law so that all power derives from God, in this sense, the role of reason is only to know how to interpret the natural law and choose the ruler. But in the two Treaties on civil government, the law of nature coincides with the reason and power of the social contract.
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In the state of nature men are free, equal and independent, but there is a right of property which is based on work and the law of nature imposes mutual respect. (There is no war of all against all)
The State is created through a contract . This brings men out of the state of nature and places them within a civil society. Locke also proposes the separation of powers, establishing monarch-parliament duality. This is intended to limit the king's power and protect the freedom of individuals.
Locke defends freedom of thought. Toler ance implies freedom to the extent that it does not harm others. It also proposes a sepration between the temporal and the spiritual.