John Locke's Essay Concerning Human Understanding
In John Locke's "Essay Concerning Human Understanding", he makes a distinction between the sorts of ideas we can conceive of in the perception of objects. Locke separates these perceptions into primary and secondary qualities. Regardless of any criticism of such a distinction, it is a necessary one in that, without it, perception would be a haphazard affair. To illustrate this, an examination of Locke's definition of primary and secondary qualities is necessary.
Starting from common-sense notions of perception, namely that there must be something in order to perceive something, Locke continues by arguing that ideas in the mind correspond to qualities in the object being perceived. Locke states that:
Whatsoever the mind perceives in itself, or is in the immediate object of perception, thought or understanding, that I call idea; and the power to produce any idea in our mind, I call quality of the subject wherein that power is. 11
Primary qualities are those aspects of an object that are in and of the object being perceived. Anything that must actually be in an object in order for any object to exist is a primary quality. These, Locke stated, are inseparable from an object. Qualities such as mass, solidity, and extension in three dimensions are all primary qualities. To say that an object has mass and solidity but no shape or extension in three dimensions is inconceivable if not outright ridiculous. So, primary qualities are necessary for an object to be considered an object. If something does not have primary qualities, then it cannot be considered an object but must be considered to be something else.
Secondary qualities, according to Locke,...
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...ere God creates substance and everything associated with it. Conversely, without a belief in God, Berkeley's position cannot be put forth, as there would be nothing to create the perceptions, and Locke's position becomes more likely. And if your faith leads you to the conclusion that there is no God, then you must put your faith in a material world for there is no other consistent world of which you could conceive.
Endnotes
1 Locke, Berkeley, and Hume. The Empiricists. (New York: DoubleDay, 1974) p.24 [Back]
2 Locke, Berkeley, and Hume. The Empiricists. (New York: DoubleDay, 1974) p.25 [Back]
3 Locke, Berkeley, and Hume. The Empiricists. (New York: DoubleDay, 1974) p.166 [Back]
4 Locke, Berkeley, and Hume. The Empiricists. (New York: DoubleDay, 1974) p.168 [Back]
5 Locke, Berkeley, and Hume. The Empiricists. (New York: DoubleDay, 1974) p.168 [Back]
O Brother, Where Art Though? by Joel and Ethan Coen is a film, made in 2000, that was based on the Odyssey in many ways. The movie is about a guy, Ulysses Everett, who is on this long journey to find the “treasure” which he tells his two friends, Delmar and Pete. He is actually tricking them about the treasure because he knows that they would not go on this elongated journey, which they are escaping prison for, if they knew the truth. He was actually going to try to stop the marraige of his wife with her new fiance. On the long journey they face many challenges that try to stop them from getting to the town his wife is in. Everett and Odysseus both have similar call to actions which, were to come home to stop their wives from marrying
Locke, John Essay concerning Humane Understanding, Book II ("Of Ideas"), Chapter 1 ("Of Ideas in General, and Their Original")
John Locke is considered one of the best political minds of his time. The modern conception of western democracy and government can be attributed to his writing the Second Treatise of Government. John Locke championed many political notions that both liberals and conservatives hold close to their ideologies. He argues that political power should not be concentrated to one specific branch, and that there should be multiple branches in government. In addition to, the need for the government to run by the majority of the population through choosing leaders, at a time where the popular thing was to be under the rule of a monarch. But despite all of his political idea, one thing was extremely evident in his writing. This was that he preferred limited
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