Locke innate ideas summary
by Caspar Hewett
Click Here for printable version of this page
Published in 1690, An Essay Concerning Human Understanding is the masterwork of the great philosopher of freedom John Locke. Nearly twenty years in preparation Locke began working on The Essay in 1670 following a series of philosophical discussion during which he and his friends decided that it was necessary to examine our own abilities, and see what objects our understandings were, or were not, fitted to deal with. The Essay is an attempt to establish what it is and isnt possible for us to know and understand. My purpose Locke says, is to enquire into the origin, certainty, and extent of human knowledge; together, with the grounds and degrees of belief, opinion, and assent. The aim thus is not to achieve certainty, but to understand how much weight we can assign to different types of knowledge.
The Essay is divided into four books, the first three laying the foundation for the arguments set out i Lockes theory of innate knowledge meaning!