PHILOS 2XX3 Lecture : Locke on Innate Knowledge and on Simple Ideas
10 Jan 2012
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Early modern ii: locke on innate knowledge, and on simple ideas. We don t need innate knowledge to explain the knowledge we have or the things we are capable of doing. Attacks the most influential and widely held arguments for the existence of innate knowledge. If a principle is agreed upon universally, it must be innate. Premise 2: innatism would only follow if no other explanation for universal acceptance could be provided. Premise 1: there are no truths that command universal assent, even true things are not assented to by idiots and children. Assent when asked once at a certain age will not be sufficient. Children and idiots may accept such principles tacitly. Locke s conclusion: there s no way to positively argue for innate knowledge, and every argument from innate knowledge can also be interpreted to apply to locke s idea that learning occurs.
