History of Western Ideas Allied-IV

John Locke (Empiricism)

Previous Year Short Questions
Courtesy- 53rd Batch, Department of English
University of Chittagong

 What democratic elements do you find in Locke's political

theory? (’16)

 John Locke is among the most influential political philosophers of

the modern period. Now I am going to discuss the democratic
elements in Locke's political theory.
 In his political theory, he discussed the state of nature, private
property, civil government and sovereignty. In the Two Treaties of
Government, he used the claim that men are naturally free and
equal as part of the justification for understanding legitimate
political government as the result of social contract where people
in the state of nature conditionally transfer some of their rights to
the government in order to better ensure the stable, comfortable
lives, liberty and property. We can also find division of private
property democratically from Locke's theory. Property was an idea
which Locke used in both a broad and a narrow sense. Men have a
right to self-preservation and therefore to such things as they need
for their substance.
 Having established several rights and duties belonging to men by
nature and having shown certain inconveniences and disadvantage
 of the state of nature, Locke turned to a political society. Finally,
Locke gives us a different picture of the sovereign power in society
within democracy. He agrees that there must be a 'supreme
power’, but he carefully placed this in the hands of the legislature.
His theories are compatible with democracy. Locke is thus also
important for his defines of the right of revolution.

 Prepared by- Jishan Uddin

 Discuss Locke’s theory of innate ideas. Why does he refute

it?(’17)

 It is obvious that if Locke is going to say that all ideas come from
experience, he must reject the theory of innateness (Stumpf and
Fieser, 2015). The first of the Essay’s four books is devoted to a
critique of nativism, the doctrine that some ideas are innate in the
human mind, rather than received in experience. He attacks
previous schools of philosophy, such as those of Plato and
Descartes, which maintain that there are certain ideas (units of
mental content) which were neither acquired through experience
nor constructed by the mind out of ideas received in experience.
The usual justification for this belief in innate principles is that
there are in the understanding certain innate principles stamped
upon the mind of man, which the soul receives in its very first
beginning, and brings into the world with it. In other words, certain
principles exist to which all human beings universally assent.
 Locke contends that, on the contrary, no principle is actually
accepted by every human being. His contention is that the fact that
not all humans have these ideas is enough evidence that they were
not implanted in the human minds at birth, and that they are
therefore acquired rather than innate. Furthermore, if universal
agreement did exist about something, this agreement might have
come about in a way other than through innate knowledge.
Another argument of his directed against innate ideas is that
human beings cannot have ideas in their minds of which they are
not aware, so that people cannot be said to possess even the most
basic principles until they are taught them or think them through
for themselves. Still another argument is that because human
beings differ greatly in their moral ideas, moral knowledge must
not be innate.
 Locke attacks both the view that we have any innate principles (for
example, the whole is greater than the part, do unto others as you
would have done unto you, etc.) as well as the view that there are
any innate singular ideas (for example, God, identity, substance,
and so forth). The main thrust of Locke’s argument lies in pointing
out that none of the mental content alleged to be innate is
universally shared by all humans.
 As Locke saw the matter, the doctrine of innate ideas was
superfluous because it contained nothing that he could not explain
in terms of his empirical account of the origin of ideas.

 Prepared by- Hadia Sultana

 What distinction does Locke make between simple and complex
ideas?(’18)

 John Locke says that our ideas come into two types. They are,
simple idea and complex idea. The distinction between these two
ideas are, 1. Simple ideas are external to bodies and mind can
receive it passively. On the other hand, Complex ideas are the
combination of simple ideas and mind can receive it actively.
2.Simple ideas come from experience and complex ideas
emphasizes on mind. 3.it is our senses that help us to generate
simple idea. on the contrary, it is our mind that produces complex
ideas. 4.Simple ideas cannot be divided into further other ideas
while Complex ideas can be analysed. 5.For example, the fragrance
of a flower is a simple idea. And the flower is a complex idea which
includes all the simple ideas like fragrance, texture, shape, size
"etc.".

 Prepared by- Farjana Akhtar

 Why Locke is the forerunner of many liberal idea?(’15)

 The enlightenment philosopher and political theorist, John Locke,

is commonly considered as the father of liberalism. Liberalism is
sought to replace the norm of absolute monarchy, rule of law,
hereditary privilege, state religion " etc.”. It is based on liberty,
consent of the governed, equality before law, free trade, human
rights, civil rights, freedom of speech, freedom of religion "etc.".
Locke claimed that men are naturally free. They have rights to life,
 liberty and property which are their natural rights and government
will exist to protect their rights. Government will rule the state by
the consent of the state people and promote public good. The
government that fails to do so can be resisted and replaced with
new government. Locke's this liberal idea influenced Voltaire, Jean
Jacques Rousseau, many Scottish enlightenment thinkers,
American revolutionaries and French revolutionaries and they also
contributed to change the society and the state by generating their
liberal ideas. So, as John Locke’s liberal idea has a great impact on
the subsequent liberal ideas, he is regarded as the forerunner of
following many liberal ideas.

 Prepared by- Farjana Akhtar

Thanks for your patience