John Locke Research Paper

Epistemology is the study of knowledge and whether or not we can actually acquire it. Regarding knowledge, skeptics believe we cannot attain it and cognitivists believe we can. While cognitivists agree about being able to have knowledge, they disagree about where it comes; from experience or the mind. Rationalists are those who believe we receive knowledge from the mind alone and that ideas are innate, to have knowledge from birth. Empiricists believe the only way to gain knowledge is by our experiences. While skepticism, rationalism, and empiricism are very controversial views of epistemology, empiricism is accurate as explained by one of the famous empiricists, John Locke. Empiricism, as John Locke would argue, is the exclusive way to …show more content…
He states, “ Our observation...perceived and reflected...is that which supplies our understandings...of thinking”(Rauht, Pg. 63). Sensation is a sensible object that coneys a specific perception such as texture, taste, and color. Locke indicates that understanding is derived from the external objects around one’s self and therefore produces one’s perception of those objects and the world. Furthermore, knowledge comes from reflection, which is an internal sense. The internal senses are when we think, doubt, perceive, believe, and know. Locke’s argument intends to establish that no one is able to receive knowledge through any other forms except these two. His argument is successful because sensation and reflection are interconnected to cultivate our thoughts. Locke further claims that we receive understanding when our soul reflects upon itself and is able to categorize and grasp the occurrences it has gained. He disagrees with innate ideas because it does not follow his idea that one can only obtain knowledge through sensation and reflection. We are capable of having knowledge, but this is not something we are born with it. We learn through experiences, which come from both our mind and …show more content…
Sight is a major sense, and without it one is not able to obtain a widely accepted perception of objects. One can say that the sky is blue, however you cannot be certain of what blue is until you actually see and confirm it through your own eyes. One is not born dwelling on the things of the world, one slowly grows in understanding as one ages. As such, knowledge has to develop through thinking and perceiving and as one ages their thoughts and perceptions become more complex and concrete. Locke states, “External objects furnish the mind with the ideas of sensible qualities… and the mind furnishes the understanding with ideas of its own perceptions” (Rauhut, Pg. 64). We are born to experience the things of the world and allow our minds to receive sensation, producing our reflections. Although Locke and many more share the same views of epistemology, there are others who may argue against

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