An Essay concerning Human Understanding
Locke investigates the origin, limits and scope of ideas and knowledge. Rejecting principles inscribed in the mind from birth, he examines sensation, reflection, language and judgment.
Understanding the text
Published late in 1689 with a 1690 date, the Essay was revised in successive editions. It addresses debates about innate ideas and certainty without reducing all knowledge to isolated sensation.
Key points
- 01
Experience
Ideas arise from sensation and reflection on the operations of our minds.
- 02
Language
Words can obscure inquiry when uncertain usages are treated as established things.
- 03
Limits
Knowledge requires relations between ideas; many judgments rest only on probability.
Explore the ideas in depth
From experience to ideas
Read the Essay by distinguishing sensation, reflection and limits of knowledge.
Experience
Ideas arise from sensation and reflection on the operations of our minds. Locate the passage in its historical context and distinguish Locke’s claim from your contemporary examples.
Language
Words can obscure inquiry when uncertain usages are treated as established things. Compare the argument with an objection and examine which assumptions remain implicit.
Limits
Knowledge requires relations between ideas; many judgments rest only on probability. Specify limits and affected people before generalizing the text’s conclusion.
Questions to carry into your reading
- How does an impression differ from a complex idea?
- What can be asserted without complete certainty?
Distinguish simple from complex ideas, then compare demonstrated knowledge with probable opinion.
How to read it
Distinguish simple from complex ideas, then compare demonstrated knowledge with probable opinion.
Editions & sources
- Consult the reference 1plato.stanford.edunew tab
- Consult the reference 2plato.stanford.edunew tab
- Consult the reference 3iep.utm.edunew tab
Summaries and key points are original editorial interpretations. They accompany reading the work and do not replace an edition of the text. Editorial method ↗