Abella, Marc Gabriel A.

April 27, 2018

4PHL2 Philosophy of Science

John Locke’s Epistemology as the Foundation of Physical Sciences

This thought piece aims to emphasize the link of Lockean epistemology to the structure of the physical
sciences. Through the discussion, the work will prove one thing namely: (1) John Lock’s epistemology has
an effect to the physical sciences. To prove this claim, this work will be divided into two parts particularly:
(1) the discussion of Lock’s epistemology, and (2) its effects to the physical sciences.

First discussion:

Locke theorized that individuals are born in a state of tabularasa or blankness in terms of
memory. This directly contests Plato’s theory of forms that assumes innate ideas within man. Locke
claims that man obtains knowledge through his empirical experience of the world where he lives in. For
example, man knows apple because he had seen one before. It is not because man has an inherent idea
of the form apple. To support this claim, Locke states:

First, all the simple ideas we have are confined to those we receive from corporeal
objects by sensation, and from the operations of our own minds as the objects of
reflection, But how much these few and narrow inlets are disproportionate to the
vast while extent of all beings, will not be hard to persuade those who are not
foolish as to think there span the measure of all things.

From this brief discussion, Locke’s epistemological philosophy was manifested. Consequently, it implies
that the contents of one’s mind is usually