PHILOSOPHY SEMINAR JOHN LOCKE – 1632-1704 - The foremost English philosopher of his period, Locke wrote on philosophy, education, economics, theology ad medicine.

I. Locke’s Political Theory
    a. The Social Contract as a “liberal’ model copies Hobbes version in form but with a “contrary”
       interpretation. Hobbes’ held we consent to a powerful “leviathan” out of fear. Locke says we
      consent to majority rule and the rule of law.
    b. Admit our ignorance on matters beyond our experience.
    c. Discredit traditional, authoritarian politics and “the divine right to rule”.
    d. Social Contract based on consent and majority rule.
    e. Property is the vital thing and is based on a labor theory of value and on one’s personal effort.
      Differences in amount of property are tolerable so long as equality before the law is assured.
    f. Political power is exercised only for the common good.

II. Locke’s Epistemology
    a. Locke’s epistemology ruled in Europe for a long time. Descartes had said that all ideas are innate,
       and philosophy is the effort to extract from and interpret that innate material. Lock said nothing is innate-
       it is all from experience. Locke applied the “Blank slate” metaphor – encouraging probability analysis
       and experiment.
    b. Locke’s view in recent times has been also used to deny innate genetic inheritance of character
       and ethical value. This becomes a conflict with bio-genetic science and Darwinian evolutionary
       consequences in biology.
    c. Locke rejects realist view of “universals” taught by Plato that universals are“real” and exist in a
       perfect heaven above. Locke prefers the Conceptualist compromise view that universals are merely
       abstract ideas, not real entities existing in a spiritual world. A nominalist would say there are no “universals”.
       Things exist or they don’t.
    d. Locke is perceived as the modern source of “skepticism” – ( we cannot be sure that a world external
       to our mind exists at all), determinism, materialism, and finally atheism. Locke, cheerfully, wasn’t certain about
       all this, but thought the mechanics of the universe probably worked satisfactorily.
    e. Topics of philosophical “subjectivism” and “objectivism” are involved.
          i. Objective claim statements about material facts are true or false independently of anyone’s opinion.
         ii. Subjective claim statements are neither true nor false but a matter of taste, style, etc.
        iii. Objective claim statements about subjects (values) is objectively true or false as the case may be.
    f. For Descartes, the goal of philosophy is to reveal the truth of the world. For Locke, the goal is to
       order (to organize) our experience of the world.