John Locke: empiricist There are no innate ideas. ALL knowledge comes from sense experience.
The argument against innate ideas: An idea can only be innate if it possesses two factors: Universal consent Does not have to be taught An idea that did have “universal consent” would not necessarily be innate. There are no ideas that have “universal consent.”
Two sources of ideas: Sensation Passive faculty Gives rise to simple ideas Colours, shapes, sounds, shapes, etc. Reflection Active faculty Gives rise to complex ideas Physical objects, abstract concepts
The nature of objects Objects are composed of two parts: Qualities: Primary: really in the object and define what the object is. Secondary: not really in the objects except as powers to cause in us a certain sensation. Substance: Something we know not of but must exist for qualities to reside in.
Representative Realism object mind qualitiesSimple ideas substancesubstance Complex idea
2 Problems with Representative Realism The complex idea is supposed to represent the object. Cannot verify this claim. Substance is that which we know not of but must exist for qualities to reside in. Substance cannot be perceived so it must not exist.
George Berkeley “To be is to be perceived.” If something cannot be perceived, it does not exist. Substance cannot be perceived. Therefore, it does not exist. The picture of Berkeley’s theory is almost identical to Locke’s except that substance is gone.
Berkeley’s Idealism object mind qualities substancesubstance
A potential problem: If no one is perceiving something does that mean it just doesn’t exist? Does it just disappear?! While it is true that existence and perception are connected things would only cease to exist, if NO ONE is perceiving them.
An experiment
How do we know things exist when we’re not perceiving them? There must be a universal perceiver capable of perceiving everything that exists even things we do not perceive. George Berkeley was a Bishop.
God is the universal perceiver.