From experience to ideas
Read the Essay by distinguishing sensation, reflection and limits of knowledge.
An original introduction. This guide accompanies the work; it is neither the complete text nor a translation.
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.
Distinguish simple from complex ideas, then compare demonstrated knowledge with probable opinion.
Your turn to think.
- How does an impression differ from a complex idea?
- What can be asserted without complete certainty?
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