These ideas leading from Sir Francis Bacon and Thomas Hobbes. The ideas of John Locke also coincide with the empiricist view that there are simple ideas that are from sensory qualities and complex ideas coming from several simple ideas. This could mean to say that they were atomists because atomism is reducing complexity to its simplest basic elements. Which is the assumption of many ideas for psychology for example John Watson’s behaviorism. Locke also had a view of empiricist philosophy because he had the idea that those who have different experiences view the world differently.
There were many philosophers in the 17th and 18th century that influenced and inspired the founders of our country. For instance, John Locke believed that life, liberty, and property should be our natural rights as humans and if the government could not secure these rights then the people could get rid of them. That idea impacted Thomas Jefferson when he wrote the Declaration of Independence. This was the perfect time to develop different theories and contradictions because this was right around the time of the printing press and protestant reformation where people started to question the catholic church. Other philosophers like Thomas Hobbes, Voltaire, Montesquieu, and Rousseau impacted founders like George Washington and James Madison who have positively affected this country in many different ways.
These ideas were expressed in his “Tabula Rasa Theory of Human Behavior”. In his writing, Locke says,”Let us then suppose the mind to be, as we say, white paper, void of all characters, without any ideas—How comes it to be furnished? Whence comes it by that vast store which the busy and boundless fancy of man has painted on it with an almost endless variety? Whence has it all the materials of reason and knowledge? To this I answer, in one word, from experience.”
The Evolution of Tanks in World War One The allies saw the futility of the stalemate on the western front and had been coming to the realization that simply advancing soldiers into no-man’s land by foot was a surefire way to lose a great number of casualties to the German’s machine guns and artillery fire. A new way to break the stalemate was needed, thus the tank was invented. Initially, tanks were seen as an invention with the potential to help aid infantry by clearing a path into no-man’s land. At first, tanks were slow and unable to function desirably.
In the movie 12 Angry Men it showed many examples of Hume’s ideas such as skepticism, pluralism, relativism, and reasonable doubt. First let me explain what skepticism is, skepticism doubts the validation of knowledge or particular subject. Pluralism is the position that there are many different kinds of belief—but not all just as good as any other. Relativism is when the position that each belief is just as good as any other, since all beliefs are viewpoint dependent. Reasonable doubt is lack of proof that prevents a judge or jury to convict a defendant for the charged crime.
Also, that all theories shouldn’t be based on reasoning or instinct, but on experience. Our impressions vs. our ideas. In another popular book by Hume called, “Equiry Concerning Human Understanding” he addresses his thoughts on skepticism, “the idea that we cannot know anything about the world with certainty.” Hume believed that we cannot guarantee anything, because we do not obtain the ability to reason with ourselves. For example, just because we’ve loved a certain food for years there is no guarantee that you’ld like it tomorrow.
While Hume was more concerned with human nature and reason, Locke focused on the results, or knowledge, that science was uncovering at the time. Locke believed that science already had a solid foundation by which to build on, while Hume questioned this underlying structure and sought to find out exactly what this knowledge was. Further, Hume did not agree with Locke’s view of an innate ability to reason; Hume took the ‘blank slate at birth’ contention to its extreme arguing that even the ability to reason is acquired through experience. Finally, Locke’s argument for the existence of God is markedly different than that of Hume’s. Locke contends that because he (Locke) exists, and he could not have come into existence out of nothing, then something must have produced him.
Understanding is not able to invent or create or even an idea. It merely relate to the most simple ideas fun ways according john Locke. It resembles which the intellect Liability is these simple ideas are the primary materials of our knowledge.” male dominance in this little world of his own knowledge to that exercised in the great world of visible things in which their power rather than employee with art and cunning does not go beyond compose and divide the materials and facts of your hand.” (2003, February 3).
According to book I, Neither Principles nor Ideas are Innate, “the origin of mental content and lay out Locke's empiricist account of concept acquisition” (Newman 1). Book II, Of Ideas, illustrates Locke’s opinions on the way humans get their ideas and think. Within the 33 chapters of book II, Locke states that “all ideas come from sensation or reflection” (Locke 87). He is a firm believer that humans are in control of their own thoughts. In book III, Of Words, Locke expresses his perspective on his theory that the words in our brain are not always capable of coming out on their own.
The European Enlightenment Project 2015: David Hume David Hume (1711-1776) was a native of Edinburgh, Scotland, being born there in 1711 to relatively well-to-do parents, and died there in 1776 at the age of sixty-five. In 1721, at the age of ten, he began down a road largely determined by his family when he enrolled in the University of Edinburgh, and left after three years destined to pursue a career of his own. The next decades saw him developing through his publications a brilliant theory of human nature and the extent of human knowledge.
Locke was an empiricist. Locke believes all ideas come from experiences. John Locke believes ones knowledge is based on experiences. He says everyone is born with no ideas. He says, “When you’re born you know nothing, you have instincts, as you get older you get experienced and gain ideas through experiences.”
Descartes and Hume. Rationalism and empiricism. Two of the most iconic philosophers who are both credited with polarizing theories, both claiming they knew the answer to the origin of knowledge and the way people comprehend knowledge. Yet, despite the many differences that conflict each other’s ideologies, they’re strikingly similar as well. In this essay I will attempt to find an understanding of both rationalism and empiricism, show the ideologies of both philosophers all whilst evaluating why one is more theory is potentially true than the other.
In contrast, Locke believes, that knowledge can only have a high degree of certainty but cannot be certain. Since he does not focus much on certainty in his works, he believes that perception can play a major part in the process of knowledge. He further reiterates that knowledge is based on observations and senses. According to his him, ideas come from reflection and sensation while knowledge is founded on experience In summary, I have covered the respective positions and views that both Locke and Descartes hold in respect with self-identity and consciousness.
Locke also asserted that humans are blank states at birth. According to him, “All ideas come from sensation or reflection. Let us then suppose the mind to be, as we say, white paper, void of all characters, without any ideas” (Locke, 1690, p. 96). However, Baillargeon’s research described earlier in the paper showed that infants possess certain knowledge from birth, such as the principle of persistence. Also, Locke’s claim fell into contradiction later in his paper.
John Stuart Mill is a utilitarian. He believes that all sentient creators are psychologically hedonistic; that we naturally seek out pleasures and avoid pains (Pg. 88). As a utilitarian, he focuses on ethical hedonism, the idea that we ought to maximize our happiness. To Mill, the right actions to take are those that promote happiness, the wrong actions to take are those that promote pain (Pg. 90). Mill defines happiness as feeling many kinds of pleasures and only few temporary pains in our lifetime (Pg. 89).
