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LockeonHumanUnderstandingPresentationNotes,27.04.2011

CerenBurcakDAG,040100531

Therearetwoimportantmovementsinthehistoryofthephilosophywhicharerepresentedbysome

leading figures. As we have seen Plato, Descartes, Spinoza in rationalists before, we have also

experiencedthe ideasofBaconsofarwhocanbereplaced inEmpiricismmovementofphilosophy.

However,whenwetalkaboutthesimple,indivisibleideasthatisgeneratedbypureexperience,the

firstidentitycomestomindiscertainlyJohnLocke.

Thisessaycontains,

abriefinformationaboutLockeslife;asufficient informationaboutthegeneralstructure,contemporaryreceptionandtheplaceoftheEssayinthehistoryofphilosophy;

an extended analysis of the second book, chapters one through seven of the Essaywithquotationsandexplanations.

SincewehaveseenLockes life inhistoricalcontentandhisgeneralphilosophyonbothknowledge

andpolitical theory inProf.Stockerspreviousclass,wearegoingtodiscussonly theoriginof the

knowledge and the kinds of ideas broadlywhich are the topics of these chapters and touch the

generalphilosophyofLocke.

BriefInformation

on

his

Life

LockelivedinatimewhenEnglishhistorywasrecordedwithquitedramaticepisodes.Hepersonally

played important roles in British history bymeans of philosophical and political theories. After

getting a successful education in famous schools of England (B.A. degree atOxford in 1656), he

followedatraditionalcourseofstudyinArtsandheldastudentshipatChristChurch.Howeverhegot

expelledatthedirectinstigationofCharlesIIduetohisconnectionswithpoliticalgroupingsopposed

toroyalpolicies.Afterthat,besideshewas interested inphilosophicalandtheologicalwritings,he

also focused onmedicine and general science.He even received amedical degree ofM.B. from

OxfordUniversity in1675,whenhewas thirtythree.Nevertheless,healways got inspiredby the

physicsofthenature.Eventhoughmedicineisabranchofscienceaswell,heneverthoughthimself

asascientistbutafigurewhocleanedthescientificpathfrommetaphysicalobjectsofphilosophyas

aphilosopher.HebecameLordAshleysmedicaladviserandoneof theclosest friendswhowasa

politicallysignificantfigureintheBritishhistory.AshleywasfromWhigpoliticianswhoopposedthe

monarchyofKingbutsupportedthepoweroftheparliament.Afteranactiveandsuccessfulpolitical

career,hehadsomanyofficialduties.Atthosetimes,Lockewasarespectedcharacterinthepublic

due tohisposition in thepoliticsand the intellectual famewhichcamewith theEssayConcerning

Human Understanding. These timeswere also the last years of him; after some years of failing

health,hediedwhenhewasseventytwo.

TIPonhischaracter,

[ReferencefromE.J.Lowe,RoutledgePhilosophyGuidebooktoLockeonHumanUnderstanding]

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In characterhewas somewhat introverted and fullof anxieties,buthebynomeans

avoidedcompany.Heenjoyedgoodconversationbutwasabstemious/contented inhis

habitsofeatinganddrinking.Hewas aprolific correspondent andhad agreatmany

friendsandacquaintances, onthecontinentofEuropeaswellasinBritainandIreland.If

therewas aparticular fault inhis character, itwas a slight tetchiness in response to

criticismofhiswritings,evenwhenthatcriticismwasintendedtobeconstructive.

GeneralStructureoftheEssayLockesintellectuallifegivesrisetotwoimportantquestions,

1. Howshouldhumanlive?2. Howcanahumanbeingknowanything?

TheEssayConcerningHumanUnderstandingconcernswiththesecondquestion.Itwaspublishedin

1689butgotrevisionsuntil1700whenthefourth/finaleditionwaspublished.Itisdividedintofour

books,

1. Of InnateNotions is about the innate ideas. It is sortof an attackon the supportersofinnateideas(e.g.Plato,Descartes)whoheldthatmuchofourknowledgeisindependentof

experience.

2. OfIdeasputsforwardtheresponseofLocketothequestionofWheredotheseideascomefrom?. According to Locke, sensation and reflection can provide all thematerials of our

understanding; even it can give logical explanations for substance, identity and causality

whichwereacceptedasinnatebytheopponentsofLocke.

3. OfWordsexplainsthe importanceof language inexpressingthe ideasandtheconceptofmutual understanding. Also Locke discusses on the origins of our ideas inwidely varying

individualexperience.

4. OfKnowledgeandOpiniongivestheprocessesofreason,learningandtestimony/evidenceworkonthe ideastogeneratecertainknowledgeandprobablebelief.Thisbook isalsothe

bookhedrawsaproperboundarybetween the fieldof reasonandexperienceontheone

handandthatofrevelation/inspirationandfaithontheother.

His book is involved in the fields of epistemology in other words the theory of knowledge,

metaphysics,thephilosophyofthemindandthephilosophyofthelanguage.

HISQUESTION:Whatarewecapableofknowingandunderstandingabouttheuniverseweliveinbytheexaminationoftheworkingmethodofhumanmind?

HIS ANSWER: All the materials of our understanding come from our ideas generated by bothreflectionandsensationwhichareworkeduponbyourpowersofreasontoproduceknowledge.We

havealsoothersourcesofbeliefwhicharetestimonyandrevelation.Thesecansupplyusprobability

butnotcertainty.

ContemporaryReceptionoftheEssayThe

Essaydrewattentionwhenitsabridgedversionwasfirstappeared.Lockepublishedhisworkin

one of the leading intellectualjournals of the day, Bibliothque universelle. This was important

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becausemany philosophers including Leibniz learned about hiswork by thisway. In those early

years,therewasadrasticdifferencebetweenthereactionstowardsEssay;someofthemarehighly

praising itwhereasothersweredeeplyhostile.However,afterawhileLockesepistemologicaland

metaphysicalthoughtsstarted tobewidelyaccepted.Even thoughhisworkwasnotthatskeptical

accordingtoempiricistsafterhim(e.g.Hume),TheEssaywasseenasdamagingtothereligiondueto

itspositionagainstinnateideas.Hewasnotanantidogmatic,buthewasthefirstoftheoneswho

weredepictingtheseempiricist ideasonhumanunderstanding inasystematicway.Thatswhyhis

workwasappeareddangerouslyskeptical.

There are two important philosopherswho criticized Locke in his life time,George Berkeley and

Wilhelm Leibniz. The Principles ofHuman Knowledge ofBerkeley and theNew Essays onHuman

UnderstandingofLeibnizweretwohugebookswrittenagainstLocke.

The Essay has never lost its eminence amongst philosophical writings. Although it was initially

bannedatOxfordUniversityasdangerousmaterialforstudentstoread,itsoonbecameastandard

textwhichthestudentsshouldread.Itwasstartedtobeseennotradicalandrevolutionaryworkbut

conservative. It evenbecame a good target to criticize for eighteenthcentury revolutionaries likeDavidHume.

ThePlaceoftheEssayintheHistoryofthePhilosophyWhyareLockeandtheEssaysovaluable?

In generalwe call Locke as one of the first empiricists (amongst Bacon, Hobbes and Gassendi);

howevertheEssayisnotonlyaworkofmajorphilosophicalimportancebutalsoitisthestartpoint

ofanewphilosophicaltradition.Weknowthatscienceandphilosophyaretwodifferentprinciples

today; however it was not at those days. The terms science and philosophy were used as

interchangeably. The separation of science from philosophy, this shift in usage, comeswith the

philosophicalinfluenceofphilosopherslikeLocke.ThisiswhyLockeandtheEssayaresosignificant

inthehistoryofphilosophy.

WhatisdistinctiveofthisnewtraditionbothreflectedinandinspiredbytheEssayispreciselytheshiftthat it

recognizesintherelationshipbetweenphilosophyandthesciences.Bytheendoftheseventeenthcentury,the

naturalscienceshadbeguntoasserttheirownautonomyandtodeveloptheirowndistinctiveproceduresand

institutions,andphilosophyintheshapeofmetaphysicsandepistemologycouldnolongerpresumetodictate

howinquiryintothenatureandworkingsofthephysicalworldshouldproceed,muchlesstosupplyanswersto

specificquestionsinthatfield.ItistoLockesgreatcreditthathewasamongstthefirsttoreconceptualisethe

roleofphilosophyashaving chiefly a criticalfunction,adjudicating knowledgeclaims rather thanproviding

theirprimarysource,(Lowe,1995).

APartofLockesPhilosophy:OriginoftheIdeas/KnowledgeandtheKindsofIdeasAnalysisoftheSecondBook,ChaptersonethroughsevenoftheEssayChapterI,OfIdeasingeneral,andtheirOriginal

Wehavesome ideas inourmindssuchasWhiteness,Hardness,Sweetness,Thinking,Motion,Man,

Elephant,Army,Drunkennessandothers.Then,heputsthefirstquestionaboutmanandhisideasin

theinquiry;howhecomesbythem?

WeknowthatLockediscussesontheinnateideasinhisfirstbook,soheremindsittothereader.

Iknow

it

is

areceived

Doctrine,

That

Men

have

native

Ideas,

and

original

Characters

stampedupon theirMinds, in theirveryfirstBeing.ThisOpinion Ihaveat largeexamined

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already;and, I suppose,what Ihave said in theforegoingBook,willbemuchmoreeasily

admitted,when Ihaveshown,fromwheretheUnderstandingmaygetall the Ideas ithas,and by what ways and degrees theymay come into theMind;forwhich I shallappeal toeveryonesownObservationandExperience.

WeunderstandthatLockewillexplaintheoriginsoftheideas(fromwhere)andthehowtheyoccur

inourminds.Heputshisresponsetothisquestionassayingobservationandexperience.Hewilltry

toproveitbydifferentexamplesandargumentsthroughoutthechapter.

According toLocke, there isno idea in themindofanewborn child;because s/hehasnt sensed,

perceived and reflected yet.He supposes theMind to be aWhitePaper, void of allCharacters,

withoutanyideas.Namely,ifwehaveanyknowledgeinourmindandifwecanreason,thatsurely

comesfromexternalworldorthereflectionofthisexternalworldintoourminds.Lockesays,

InExperience,

all

our

Knowledge

is

founded;

and

from

that

it

ultimately

derives

itself

tostatetheroleofexperience intheexplanationoftheoriginofideas.Besides,observationisalso

significant in the Lockes theory of knowledge.We can observe external world, in other words

experiencetheouterworldandwecanobserveourinnerworld(mind),aswell.

OurObservationappliedeitheraboutexternal,sensibleObjects;orabouttheinternalOperationsof

ourMinds,perceivedandreflectedonbyourselves,isthat,whichsuppliesourUnderstandingwithall

thematerialsofthinking.

Locke thinks, these two actions so called Observation and Experience are two Fountains of

Knowledge.Byusingthesemethods(experiencingandobserving),wecangenerateallour ideas in

life. There are three important actions in Lockes philosophy: SENSATION, PERCEPTION and

REFLECTION.

Sensationisthemostbasicactionofhuman.Inordertobeincommunicationwiththeworldandso

tospeakinordertosurvive,ahumanshouldsense.Inorderwords,apersonshouldsee,hear,smell,

touch and taste in general. Sensation gives us the opportunity to realize the objects in our

environmentandbe in interactionwiththem.Lockesays,perception isproducedbysensingthese

objects.

First,Our Senses, conversant aboutparticular sensibleObjects, do convey into theMind, several

distinct Perceptions of things, according to those various ways in which those Objects do affect

them.

Forexample;wecometotheideaofyellowandwhitebyseeing,totheideaofheat,cold,softand

hardbytouching,tothe ideaofbitterandsweetbytastingetc. Inotherwords,aftersensationof

objects,wehavetheperceptionsoftheseobjectsinourmindsintheformofanidealikeyellow.

Aswe have the perception of outerworld,we can have the perception of innerworld through

observation and experience, according to Locke. Locke calls the actions of our inner world as

INTERNALOPERATIONSofOURMINDS.Therefore,whenweobserve insideofus, itmeans internal

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senseorinotherwords,reflection.Whenweexperiencetheinsideofus,wegetthePerceptionsof

theOperationsofourMinds.

Perception,Thinking,Doubting,Believing,Reasoning,Knowing,Willingandallthedifferentactings

ofourMinds,whichwebeingconsciousof,andobservinginourselves,dofromthesereceiveintoour

Understandings,asdistinctIdeas,aswedofromBodiesaffectingourSenses.

AccordingtoLocke,ideasandknowledgecannotbeinnate,theyshouldcomefromsomeexperience

andobservation;buthumannaturallycanhavesomenativepowers/faculties/capabilitiessuchasthe

actsofMind(sensation,perception,reflection,doubting,willingetc.).Thesecapabilitiesareencoded

inourgenes.Whatwearedoingistostimulatethesepowersbyexperienceandobservationatthe

firstsensationintheouterworld.Thedifferencebetweenanideaandapowerisquitesignificant.

In5thsectionLockesays,ExternalObjectsfurnishtheMindwiththeIdeasofsensiblequalities,which

areallthosedifferentperceptionstheyproduceinus:AndtheMindfurnishestheUnderstandingwith

Ideasof

its

own

Operations.

Fromthissentence,wecanunderstandthatwe infactdonotperceivetheobjectbutthesensible

qualitiesofobjectsand thisperceptionofqualitiesofobjectanimatesan idea inourmindsabout

thatobject.

QuestionforListener:Byusingqualities,whatdoesLockemean?Theobjectshavesomequalitieswhichhelpustoconceptualizethem.Thesequalitiesaredividedinto

twobranchesasprimary and secondary.Theprimaryqualities aredefinedas thequalities in the

object, inawaysensedequallybyeveryone.Thesecondaryqualitiesaredefinedasthequalitiesas

weperceivedthem,inotherwordstheycanchangefordifferentperceptions(ofhumans).

Mass,shape,sizeandthemotionareknownasprimaryqualities.

JUSTIFICATION.Wecanmeasurethemassandsizeoftheobjectinunits.Theyaremassandvolume

whicharethebasicpropertiesofmattertoexistknowninphysicssofar.Afterthemeasurement,the

massandthevolumeofanobjectaretheempiricalresultsandtheydonotchangefromhumanto

human.Besides,motion isalso related to the inertiaofanobject. It isagainmeasurableand ina

certainframeofreference,itissameforeveryone.Shape,inotherwordsthegeometryoftheobject,

is the extension of the object in the space which is related to the position of the object and

measurable.Therefore, theprimaryqualities that Lockedefinesare really special to theobject to

existandtheycanbeexperimentallydefined.

Color,taste,smellandallthosesensationsareknownassecondaryqualities.

JUSTIFICATION.Colorofanobjectisnotsomethingintheobject;itisaboutthelightreflectedfromit

onto our retinas. Color is simply an appearance of differentwavelengths. Since no photons can

reflectandreachtooureyesinadarkroom,wedonotsenseanycolor.So,ifweputaredglasses

on,weseeeverythingundertheredfilter,inotherwordseveryobjectbecomered.Thesensationof

coloraswellasothersensesischangeableforhumans.Eventhoughtheprocessofseeingissamefor

everyone(duetoevolutionaryprocess),eventhenumberofconecellsintheeyechangethetoneof

thecolorforthathuman.

Optional.Lockestheoryshouldbeexperimentedwiththechildren.

Hehimselfgivessomanyexamplesonchildrentoprovehisargumentsoninnateideas.

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Theobjectsoftheouterworld isclearlysensible,however ideasofreflectionneedmoreattention,

becauseitiseasiertoobservetheouterworldthanourinnerworlds.Lockegivesanexampleofthis

argumentonchildrenagain,

Children,when they comefirst into it, are surroundedwith a world of new things, which, by a

constantsolicitationoftheirsenses,drawthemindconstantlytothem,forwardtotakenoticeofnew,

andapttobedelightedwiththevarietyofchangingObjects.Thusthefirstyearsareusuallyapplied

anddivertedinlookingabroadsogrowingupinaconstantattentiontooutwardSensations,seldom

makeanyconsiderableReflectiononwhatpasseswithinthem

WeknowthatLockeisareligiouspersonandhasbeliefinsoulaswellasafterlife.Soitisimportant

toevaluatehisphilosophyinthisframe.Lockesaysthesoulbeginstohaveideas,whenitbeginsto

perceive; Toask,atwhat timeaManhasfirstany Ideas, is toask,whenhebegins toperceive;

havingideas,

and

Perception

being

the

same

thing. According to Locke, actual thinking is

inseparablefromthesoulastheactualextensionisfromthebody.So,soulisthecarrieroftheideas

of themindand theyexistbothat thesame time.Fromnowon,hewillanalyze theoriginof the

ideasontheexampleofsoul,sincehechargedtheperceptionofideastothesoulduetohisbeliefs.

Personally,Ithinktheperceptionofideasaswellasallinternaloperationsofourmindarerelatedto

ourbraininotherwordsourmaterial(e.g.combinationsofneurons,specializedbrainlobes).

Lockeputsforwardthatthesoul isnotalwaysthinking.Thinking issimplyoneoftheoperationsof

soul;itdoesntneedtocarryoutitallthetime.Hecomparesthebodyandthesoulatthispoint,the

perception of Ideas being to the Soul,whatmotion is to theBody,not itsEssence,butone of its

Operations. We know that knowledge and our ideas can be possible by only experience and

observation (outerand inner).Therefore,whatweknowcomes from theexperienceandasLocke

says, We know certainly by Experience, thatwe sometimes think and thence draw this infallible

Consequence,Thatthere issomething inus,thathasaPowertothink;ButwhetherthatSubstance

perpetuallythinks,orno,wecanbenofartherassured,thanExperienceinformsus.

Ifwecannotobserve,thenwecannotconcludeanything.

Letussupposethesoul isthinkingallthetime, inotherwordswearethinkingallthetime.Butwe

arenotawareofourthinkinginoursleep,forexample.Namely,wecannotobserveandperceivethis

operation.Then,ifeventhoughthesoulisthinkingsomewhereseparatefromus,wecannotknowit.

Weshouldproveitasobservingthisaction,howeverthereisnoproofforit.Hence,Lockeconcludes

ifthissituationispossible,thenthesleepingmanandwakingmanaretwodifferentpeople;since

waking Socrates,hasnoKnowledgeof,orConcernmentfor thatHappiness,orMiseryofhis Soul,

whichitenjoysalonebyitselfwhilehesleeps,withoutperceivinganythingofit

Consciousnessisimportantintheperceptionofideas(frombothinnerandouter).Ifwedonotknow

thatweareobservingorexperiencing,thatdoesnotmeananobservation;becausewesimplydoes

nothavetheknowledgeofthatobservation,namelywehaventexperiencedthatknowledge,infact.

ThatswhyLockestronglyemphasizesasForifwetakewhollyawayallConsciousnessofourActions

andSensations,

especially

of

Pleasure

and

Pain,

and

the

concernment

that

accompanies

it,

it

will

be

hardtoknowinwhichthepersonalIdentityplaces.

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Lockealsogives theexampleofsleepingpeoplewhocannotdreamduring theirsleeps.Theycan

neverbeconvinced,thattheirthoughtsaresometimesforfourhoursbusywithouttheirknowingof

it;andiftheyaretakenintheveryact,wakedinthemiddleofthatsleepingcontemplation,cangive

nomannerofaccountofit.Simply,theydonotthinkatthosetimes.

[ReferencetoScientificAmerican,theBrainsDarkEnergy,MarcusE.Raichle]

Lockealsotakesthesituationofasleepingbutnot rememberingsoul intoconsideration.Thesoul

mightthinkbutretainnothing;atthatpointwecannotknowwhatthesoulthinksandaccordingto

Locke it isveryuselessthinking if itspossible.What Ipersonally findhereas important ishetalks

aboutthepossibilityofamaterialmemoryembeddedinbrain.

Perhapsitwillbesaid,thatinawakingMan,thematerialsoftheBodyareusedinthinking;andthat

memoryofThoughtsisretainedbytheimpressionsthataremadeontheBrain,andthetracesthere

leftafter

such

thinking;

but

that

in

the

thinking

of

the

Soul,

which

is

not

perceived

in

asleeping

Man,

theretheSoulthinksapart,andmakingnouseoftheOrgansoftheBody,leavesnoimpressionsonit

andconsequentlynomemoryofsuchThoughts.Thiscounteridea isquitemeaningful, infacteven

though itcanbesolvedbymeansofLockesexplanationoftwodifferentmen.Anyway,Lockeputs

forwardhisexplanationagainandaddsthesoulshouldalsoamemorycapabilitydifferentthanthe

body,then.Hestatesas,If ithasnomemoryof itsownThoughts,whatpurposedoes itthink?

Todaywecallthesepeopleasnothealthypeople,havingamnesia.Therefore,thissituationisoutof

thinking.

Lockealsogivesanexplanationfordreamsashestates,TheDreamsofsleepingMenareallmade

upof

the

waking

Mans

Ideas,

though

for

the

most

part,

oddly

put

together. [there is scientific

referenceabout it] In the refutationof theargument that the soulalways thinks, Lockealsoasks

How they come to know, that they themselves think,when they themselvesdonotperceive it?

Thereisnoproofforit.Hefurthermoreanalyzesthepossibilityofthesoulisthinkingandthemanis

not perceiving it. So, according to Locke that means there are two persons in one man. The

philosopherswhoadvocate that the soulalways thinksdonot say that themanalways thinks.So

Lockeasks,Canthesoulthink,andnottheMan?OraManthinks,andnotbeconsciousofit?Itis

improbablethatthemanisnotconsciousofitsownthinkingashesays,Iftheysaythemanthinks

alwaysbut isnotalwaysconsciousof it,theymayaswellsay,hisbody isextended,withouthaving

parts.BecauseaccordingtoLocke,thinkingisoneoftheOperationsofMansMind.

LockesDefinitionofConsciousness.ConsciousnessistheperceptionofwhatpassesinaMansownmind.CananotherManperceive,thatIamconsciousofanything,whenIperceiveitnotmyself?No

MansKnowledgehere,cangobeyondhisExperience.

Therefore,Lockeconcludesthispartasmentioning ifamanknowsthatthesoulofanotherman is

thinkingbuthisbodydoesnotperceiveit,thatsituationisbeyondthephilosophy.

IseenoReason thereforetobelieve, thattheSoul thinksbeforetheSenseshavefurnished itwith

Ideastothinkon;andasthoseare increased,andretained;so itcomes,byExercise,to improve its

Facultyof

thinking

in

the

several

parts

of

it,

as

well

as

afterwards,

by

compounding

those

Ideas,

and

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reflectingonitsownOperations,itincreasesitsStockaswellasFacility,inremembering,imagining,

reasoningandothermodesofthinking.(2.1.20)

After all these analyses on soul and thinking, Locke reaches on a very important conclusion:

Sensation is thebasicactionofahumanand ideasbeginwith thesensation.Humancannot think

before hes born. All internal operations ofmind (including thinking) are stimulated by the first

sensationeventhoughtheyareinnate,inotherwordsencodedinourgenes.

Lockesays,Infants,newlycomeintotheworld,spendthegreatestpartoftheirtimeinSleep,andare

seldomawake,butwheneitherhungercallsfor the teat,or somepain, (themost importantofall

sensations)orsomeotherviolentImpressiononthebody,forcesthemindtoperceive,andattendto

it.FetusintheMothersWomb,differsnotmuchfromtheStateofaVegetable,passesthegreatest

partofitstimewithoutPerceptionorThought,butsleepinaplacePersonallyIthinkthisisnotthat

true.Eventhough itsnotwidelyagreedbyscientists,someresearches insistonthepossibilitythat

thebabiesinwomblearntherhythmofthesounds.Sotheirsensationsareopenandthesensation

shouldproduceperceptioninthemind.[ReferencetoWhileYouareExpectingYourOwnPrenatalClassroombyVandeCarrandLehrer]

However,Locke isrightwhilehesexpressingthesituationofagrowingchild. Ifweobserveachild

afterbirth,aftersometime,itbeginstoknowObjects,whichbeingmostfamiliarwithit,havemade

lasting impressions. Thus it comes, by degrees, to know thepersons it daily converseswith, and

distinguish them from strangers advances in other faculties of enlarging, compounding and

abstractingitsideasandofreasoningaboutthem

Attheresultofthefirstchapter,Lockeidentifiestheoriginalofknowledgebyusingthesearguments.

Tosum,humansensesandperceivestheexternalobjectsinhismind,thenbyreflectionhecanuse

theseexternalobjectstocontemplateandproducenew ideas/imageswhicharecalledknowledge.

Theunderstanding ispassive inthisprocess,socalled inthereceptionofsimple Ideas.Fromhere,

Lockepassestothetopicofthekindsofideas.

ChapterII,OfsimpleIdeasThequalitiesof theobjectget into theMindassimpleandunmixed.The sensesaredistincteven

thoughanobjectcanbesensedbymorethanoneway.YetthesimpleIdeasthusunitedinthesame

Subject, are asperfectly distinct, as those that come in by different senses.According to Locke,

simpleideascannotbedividedintodifferentIdeasandthischaracteristicofhisphilosophyiscalled

asatomismofLocke.

When the Understanding is once stored with these simple Ideas, it has the Power to repeat,

compare, and unite them even to an almost infinite variety, and so can make atpleasure new

complexIdeas.

ThestatementofLocke,ItisnotinthePowerofthemostexaltedWit,orenlargedUnderstanding,

byanyquicknessorvarietyofThought,toinventonenewsimpleIdeainthemind,norcananyforce

oftheUnderstandingdestroythosethatarethere.Ipersonallythinkthisstatementhasmuchmore

importance thananyother statement. Itdefinesa conservationof simple ideas inmindjust likea

conversationofenergyinphysics.Thisdefinitionmaygiverisetoascientificbasetotheideas.

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The lastand the thirdpartof thischapter suggests thateven thoughwehave fivesenses thatwe

know,wecanimagineanyotherqualitiesinBody,howsoeverconstituted,wherebytheycanbetaken

noticeof,besidesSounds,Tastes,Smells,visibleandtangiblequalities.Thissuggestioncanmakeus

thinksixth,seventhetc.senseswhichcanbepossible.After it,Lockeconcludeshiswordswiththe

possibilitythattherecanbeother intelligentcreatures intheuniversewhichhaveotherqualities.I

personally find itquitemeaningful thathumanhasbeen still thinkingabout thepossibilityofany

othercreaturedifferentthanhimself.

ChapterIII,OfIdeasofoneSenseItisstatedatthestartofthischapter,

First,therearesomewhichcomeintoourmindsbyoneSenseonly.Secondly,thereareothers,that

convey themselves into the mind by more Senses than one. Thirdly, others that are had from

Reflectiononly.Fourthly,therearesomethatmakethemselvesway,andaresuggestedtothemind

byall

the

ways

of

Sensation

and

Reflection.

So,Lockebeginstotalkaboutsocalleddivisionofsimple ideas.Althoughhearguesthatthereare

some ideaswhichareperceivedbyonlyone sensewith theexampleofcolor, I thinkhisexample

doesnotfullyfunction,here.

Thus Light and Colours, as white, red, yellow, blue; with their several Degrees or Shades, and

Mixtures, asGreen, scarlet,purple, seagreen, and the rest come in only by the Eyes.There is a

phenomenon ofmindwhich is called synesthesiawhich is in definition, a neurologicallybased

condition inwhichstimulationofonesensoryorcognitivepathway leadstoautomatic, involuntary

experiences inasecondsensoryorcognitivepathway.So,synesthesicpeoplecanhear thecolors,

smellthecolorsormaybetastesthenumbersetc.Though itssometimes treatedasan illness, its

notexactlyapathologicsituation,butonlyaneurologiccondition.

[Eref,Blindpaintervideointhepresentation]

Locke says that all these simple ideas are the ingredients of our complex Ideas. He especially

emphasizesasimpleideathathenamedassolidity.

ChapterIV,OfSolidityTheideaofSoliditywereceivebyourTouch;anditarisesfromtheresistancewhichwefindinBody,

to theentranceofanyotherBody intoPlace itpossesses till ithas left it.Lockesuggestsanother

term for this definition as impenetrabilitywhich characterizes his definitionmore fully than the

solidityascriticssay.Inotherwords,materialsexertforcesuponeachotherwhentheyareintouch.

ThisresistivitycanalsobecalledasactionreactionlawofobjectsasNewtonstatedinthisthirdlaw

ofmotion. Locke says, Whetherwemoveor rest inwhatPosture soeverweare,wealwaysfeel

somethingunderus,thatsupportsusandhindersourfarthersinkingdownwardsLockeevenstates

thatthispropertyofmattercanbeobservedonanything innaturethatexists,anditisinseparably

inherent in Body. So, in otherwords, this property is a physical property/observation of nature.

According to Locke, solidity fills the spaceand itsdifferent from the space itself.Wealso should

distinguishthesolidityfromhardness.Bythe IdeaofSolidity,theextensionofbody isdistinguished

fromthe

extension

of

space.

The

extension

of

body

being

nothing,

but

the

cohesion

or

continuity

of

solid,separable,moveableParts;andtheextensionofspace,thecontinuityofunsolid, inseparable,

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andimmovableparts.UponthesolidityofBodiesalsodependstheirmutualImpulse,Resistanceand

Protrusion,Lockesays.

InChapterV,heonlygivesinformationontheideasthataregeneratedbymorethantwosensesandinChapterVI,hetalksaboutthesimpleIdeasofReflectiononly.

ChapterVI,OfsimpleIdeasofReflectionMind canobserve itsownactions about its simple ideasand can contemplate itsownobjectsof

sensesor the ideasgeneratedby reflection.AccordingtoLocke,thereare twoprincipalActionsof

Mind which are, Perception/Thinking and Volition/Willing. The Power of Thinking is called the

Understanding,andthePowerofVolition iscalledtheWillandthesetwoPowersorAbilities inthe

MindaredenominatedFaculties.

ChapterVII,OfsimpleIdeasofbothSensationandReflectionThese kind of simple ideas are pleasure, pain, power, existence and unity according to Lockes

statement. Pleasure and pain are the core of all the thoughts ofourMind such as Satisfaction,

Delight,HappinessandUneasiness,Trouble,Miseryontheotherside.Wecanchooseaccordingto

ourdelights.Thehappinesswehaveforaworkmakesuspreferanaction.Havinggivenapowerto

ourMinds,inseveralInstances,tochoose,amongstitsIdeas,whichitwillthinkon,andtopursuethe

enquiry of this or that Subject with consideration and attention, to excite us to theseActions of

thinkingandmotion,thatwerecapableof,hasbeenpleasedtojointoseveralThoughts,andseveral

Sensations,aperceptionofDelight.Painhelpsustoavoidandseekthepleasure.Inaway,itisthe

lackofdelightand itsfunction isthat itgiveswaytothepleasure.LockegivestheexampleofHeat

andLight,here. Iftherearesomuchofthem,wefeelpainwhereasthesufficientamountofthem

makesuslive.

BookReferencesE.J.Lowe,RoutledgePhilosophyGuidebooktoLockeonHumanUnderstanding

JohnDunn,LockeAVeryShortIntroduction