Friday, March 14, 2008

Locke Innate ideas

Locke argues that many me believe that ideas that are universally agreed upon by all mankind are innate and are stamped upon the mind of man, which the soul receives in its very first being, and brings into the world with it. Locke argues this is not the case to prove ideas are innate because there are ways to come to these ideas that all men consent in. He says no ideas that are universally agreed upon. Children and idiots would have these ideas imprinted on them, like all humans, but they do not understand the ideas, and there is no reason to imprint the ideas on minds that would not understand them. Besides the known ideas of hunger, pain, cold, etc., Locke says there are no innate ideas. No innate ideas of principles or morals.

1 comment:

Matthew Lorah said...

I agree with Locke that we do not have innate ideas because these ideas are not pressent in everyone at birth. Like the idea of god not everyone beleives in a god or has a god to worship