John Locke theory of knowledge

1. Assignment of Theories of Language Description


Title
John Locke’s Theory of Knowledge


Submitted to:
Mr. Waseem Hassan

Submitted by:
Ali Furqan Syed

Class:
MPhil (1
st
Semester)

LAHORE INSTITUTE OF FUTURE EDUCATION LAHORE

2. John Locke’s Theory of Knowledge

John Locke’s Essay Concerning Human Understanding is a monumental work in

which he presents the theory of knowledge. He puts forward his arguments by

opposing the theory- that some ideas are not derived by sense experience, but are

‘innate’ which means a mind possesses these ideas by birth. He argues that knowledge

is not innate and all ideas are originated from sense experience. He introduces the

concept of ‘tabula rasa’ which means we are like ‘blank slates’ when born but have the

ability to write on it e.g. Eve was not learned when she was born.

He argues that there is no innate knowledge. So he claims that all our

Knowledge is derived from sense experience; and that we have no knowledge prior to

or independent of sense experience. Moreover, the idea that comes from the soul itself

is too taken for sensation by us when asleep. Locke allows that our reflective ideas can

be ambiguous and obscure, if do not concentrate. In this sense, sensitive knowledge is

the least certain degree of knowledge.

In this essay, John Locke varies knowledge into two categories- ‘sorts’ of

knowledge and ‘degrees’ of knowledge. On the one hand, four “sorts” of knowledge: of

identity; relation; co existence; and real existence. On the other hand there are three

3. degrees of knowledge: intuitive, demonstrative and sensitive knowledge. Then he gives

the concept of knowledge and sensitive knowledge. He opines that sensitive knowledge

is practical knowledge and it is something experienced and learned. Sensitive knowledge

consists specifically in knowledge of “particular existence of finite beings without us”.

Further, he calls this kind of knowledge “assurance”.

John Locke as an empiricist focuses, in this essay, how we can acquire

knowledge? He says that first of all the ideas come into an ‘empty cabinet’- mind and

then we familiarize these by experiences through repetition and label them names after

that. From there, we start to talk about - from individuals to ‘types’ of an experience

e.g. from the idea ‘colour’ to types’ blue’, ‘yellow’, ’ red’ , ’ pink’ etc.

Further, he elaborates that some ideas are as simple and some as complex one.

The basic blocks of the building are the simple ideas- single colours, single smells single

shapes and so on. But then we unite these simple ideas into more complex ideas e.g.

we identify one and the same thing (a dog) having a particular colour, shape and smell.

This shows that as an abstract we ignore many features of the thing but in complexity,

we count features from top to toe.

In this essay, john Locke illustrates the sources of knowledge deduction preferred

by Descartes and induction adopted by himself. He rejects deduction as the only reliable

knowledge because it can’t tell us anything new e.g. truths remain only truths by

definition. By rejecting deduction as the only source of reliable knowledge he inversely

adopts induction as source of reliable knowledge i.e. to produce facts to prove a general

statement. Induction is a kind of experience data which we perceive from the word and

4. now this is the foundation principle of the modern science. Along this Locke rejects

both Plato’s and Descartes’ concepts of universal innate ideas. He says that universal

knowledge does not exist e.g. ” ideas not known to children and idiots”

In this essay John Locke argues that all ideas come from sensation i.e. experience

and these ideas belong to mind because whatsoever the mind perceives in itself is a

thought or understanding that he calls idea. He also opines that there is a power to

produce any idea in our mind i.e. quality. Thus a snowball has the power to produce

in us the ideas of white, cold, and round. So the power to produce those ideas in our

mind is called quality.

Further, he investigates that there are two kinds of qualities of bodies which

produce various ideas: primary qualities of bodies and secondary qualities of bodies.

Locke observes that primary qualities are those qualities which produce simple ideas in

us e.g. take a grain of wheat, divide into two parts each part has still solidity, extension,

figure, and mobility: divide it again and again it retains still the same qualities. Secondly,

secondary qualities of bodies are such qualities which are nothing in the objects

themselves but powers to produce various sensations in us by their primary qualities,

i.e. colors, sound, tastes, smells etc.

By summing up, he argues that ideas of primary qualities alone really exist and

this is knowledge in real sense e.g. the particular qualities of fire or snow are really in

them like bulk , figure, and motion whether anyone’s senses perceive them or not. So

they may be called real qualities, because they really exist in those bodies. But light,

heat, whiteness, or coldness are no more really in them. Thus , Locke has an atomic and

5. more accurate theory of knowledge by saying : ‘there is nothing in intellect that was

snot previously in the senses— where the senses are broadened to include reflection.’