John Locke

what essay did Locke write in 1690

essay concerning human understanding

give 3 details of locke’s background

• puritan father fought for parliament during the civil war

• studied medicine at oxford

• wrote and published a number of important works of political philosophy

what had his political theories been applied to

glorious revolution of 1688-89

list the focus of his 4 books

1. humans are not born with any knowledge

2. knowledge can only come from experience

3. language, why humans use one word to categorise many different things

4. questions whether knowledge can ever be entirely accurate or truthful because every persons knowledge is unique to them and their own point of view

was locke a materialist

yes

what was he a strong believer in

empiricism - belief that knowledge can only come about as a result of experience

what did he believe about spirits

he had no experience of them so said it would be impossible for him to arrive at any certain knowledge of them

what did locke surprisingly believe in

astrology, claimed it could be useful in determining which medicinal herbs to use at different times of the year

why did some consider his ideas heretical

because it suggested that man, and not god, was responsible for learning

how were lockes ideas similar to hobbes

both materialists

how were lockes ideas different to hobbes

locke believed that spirits could exist, hobbes denied that this could happen