Locke’s Qualities vs. Berkeley’s Idealism - 754 Words

Locke’s Qualities vs. Berkeley’s Idealism In the modern period of philosophy, around the 16th and 17th century, after the fall of Rome and the rise of the dark years, three major events had occurred. The first began with the scientific revolution, where many philosophers were becoming scientist, such as the philosopher of science Francis Bacon. The next event was the resurgence of skepticism, where one questions everything until they discover the truth. For instance, the philosopher famous for saying the phrase â€Å"Cogito, ergo sum,† (translated as I think, therefore I am) was the skeptic Rene Descartes, who came up with this quote by doubting everything until there was nothing else to doubt except doubting. The final altering event in the†¦show more content†¦Berkeley describes there is no principle difference between the two qualities, for instance he states that a secondary quality corresponds to primary qualities because secondary qualities are cha racteristics that one cannot imagine an object existing without it, such as one cannot come up with an idea of a colorless shape. Another example that Berkeley points out is how people perceive qualities. Locke explains that secondary qualities are observed differently to different people. Berkeley finds this can be the same for primary qualities, such as two people looking at a triangle from different angles will have different perceptions of the shape. As a result, Berkeley finds that if one thinks secondary qualities exist only in the mind of the observer and one is convinced by his explanation of there being no distinction between the two qualities, then one would also conclude that primary qualities exist only in the mind of the observer. http://a8.8d.344a.static.theplanet.com/great_philosophers/did_berkeley_misunderstand_lockeShow MoreRelatedThe Principles Of Empiricism And The Spirit Behind It2295 Words   |  10 PagesCritical Reasoning Essay 3: British Empiricism with part icular reference to Locke’s theory of ideas – the basic principles of empiricism and the spirit behind it; Locke’s theory of the origin and types of ideas and the problems it gave rise to. Locke, John, An Essay concerning human understanding, Everyman, 1961: Book 1, of Innate ideas, Book 2, chapter 1, of ideas in general and their original, Berkeley, George, A treatise concerning the principles of human knowledge. Empiricists endorse the idea