This document discusses empiricism in Britain and John Locke's theory of knowledge. It outlines how figures like Bacon, Hobbes, and Locke believed that knowledge should be based on observation and experience rather than innate ideas. Locke rejected innate ideas and believed ideas originate from sensation and reflection. He distinguished between primary qualities that are objective properties of objects, and secondary qualities that are subjective sensations. Locke also described how we get ideas of substance and the different degrees of knowledge, including intuitive, demonstrative, and sensitive knowledge. The document concludes with mentioning Locke's writings on moral and political theory, including ethics, law, the state of nature, private property, and civil government.

1. Empiricism in Britain
 Bacon aimed “the total reconstruction
of all human knowledge”
 Locke said “clearing the ground a little,
and removing some of the rubbish that
lies in the way of knowledge”
 “It is limited to our experience”
 Bacon and Hobbes said “Knowledge
should be built on observation”

2. Empiricism - the practice of basing ideas
and theories on testing and experience
 “There was no problem that human
reason could not solve if the correct
method was employed” –Descartes
 Locke believes that the human mind
has capabilities that enable it to discover
the true nature of the universe.
 Locke, Berkeley, Hume challenged the
continental rationalist.

3. Locke’s Theory of Knowledge
o No Innate Ideas
-Consider the doctrine of innate ideas a
dangerous tool in the hands of those
who could misuse it.
-“Nothing exists in the intellect which
was not first in the senses” leads to
atheism -Cudworth

4. o Simple and Complex Ideas
-Experience gives us two sources of
ideas: sensation (5 senses) and
reflection (reasoning, thinking, etc.)
-Simple ideas originate in any one sense
that cannot be broken down into
simpler entities (e.g. a rectangle)
-Complex ideas are combinations of
simple ideas (apple = spherical-red-
sweet) created by the mind.

5. oPrimary and secondary qualities
-Primary qualities are thoughts to be
properties of objects that are
independent of any observer.
(extension, size, shape, location)
-Secondary qualities are thoughts to be
properties that produce sensations in
observers. “Subjective” (colors,
sounds, tastes)

6. o Substance
-How can we have ideas of qualities
without supposing that there is
something--some substance-- in which
these qualities subsist?
-Sensation is caused by substance
-It is substance that contains the
powers that give regularity and
consistency to our ideas.

7. o Degrees of Knowledge
a. Intuitive knowledge consists of the
immediate awareness of agreement or
disagreement between two ideas.
b. Demonstrative knowledge consists of
understanding (by means of reasoning)
the logical relationships among ideas.
c. Sensitive knowledge begins with
perceptions of particular objects.

8. Moral and Political Theory
o Ethnics and the Law
a. Law of Opinion
b. Civil Law
c. Divine Law
o The State of Nature
o Private Property
o Civil Government
o Sovereignty