LOCKE'S ARGUMENT AGAINST INNATISM
- Created by: imyimss
- Created on: 06-06-18 06:44
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- LOCKE'S ARGUMENT AGAINST INNATE IDEAS
- P1. An innate idea, x, if it existed, would be universally held
- P2. Children and idiots do not have the idea of x
- P3. The notion of having an innate idea, x, and not being aware of it doesn't make sense
- C1. Therefore x is not universally held
- C2. Therefore x is not innate
- C1. Therefore x is not universally held
- ARGUMENT
- Locke rests this all on his claim that everyone would be conscious of the innate knowledge from birth but not philosopher has defended innatism with this definition
- innatist argue that experience triggers our awareness of the innate knowledge
- Leibniz claims that 'children and idiots' do actually employ the law of identity and the principle of non-contradiction they just aren't able to articulate these ideas
- Peter Carruthers
- developments in our cognitive capacities which are genetically determined
- at first babies think of objects as only existing while they are experiencing them
- later they think of objects as something that can exist outside their experience - e.g they start to look for something they have dropped
- at first babies think of objects as only existing while they are experiencing them
- developments in our cognitive capacities which are genetically determined
- Locke rests this all on his claim that everyone would be conscious of the innate knowledge from birth but not philosopher has defended innatism with this definition
- P3. The notion of having an innate idea, x, and not being aware of it doesn't make sense
- ARGUMENT - its not clear that innate ideas need to be universally held
- P2. Children and idiots do not have the idea of x
- TABULA RASA - blank slate
- B) we see colours with our eyes
- A) we are born with innate ideas of colour
- why would God bother giving us a. when we have b.
- why would God bother giving us a. when we have b.
- A) we are born with innate ideas of colour
- all concepts are derived from impressions
- there are simple and complex concepts
- i can concort new concepts of things i have never experienced by rearranging simple elements
- there are simple and complex concepts
- ISSUES WITH TABULA RASA / EMPIRICISM RESPONSE
- Condillacs statue points to the mind not being a blank slate
- certain ways of thinking, ability to recognise sameness may all be innate
- CHOMSKY - exposure to language is not sufficient to account for our ability to learn to speak
- Condillacs statue points to the mind not being a blank slate
- B) we see colours with our eyes
- P1. An innate idea, x, if it existed, would be universally held
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