Philosophy Question-John Locke??

Question

What point does Locke (philosopher) want to draw our attention to when he suggests that "just as pain is not in the knife, red is not in the apple?

( I am working on a 2 page paper on thie subtopic, I wanted more inoformation as well as a better understanding to this with some good information, thanks!

Answer 1

http://www.sparknotes.com/philosophy/lockeessay/section4.rhtml

Start reading at the fourth paragraph from the bottom. Hope this helps.

Answer 2

What Locke is postuating is a theory known as *occasionalism|*


What this theroy suggests is that there are no causes in nature, but that God is the sole cause of everything that happens|

For example, when you put a pot of water on a fire, God sees that and then proceeds to heat the water Himself|


But in traditional scholastic philosophy, the fire really does heat the water as common sense suggests| This is known as a *secondary cause|* The primary cause, God, is still required to make the whole causal process work| God in this capacity is known as a *primary cause|*


But going back to occasionalism and Locke, pain being not in the knife means that when the knife cuts you, it is not the knife itself causing the pain, but that God Himself causes it when he sees the knife applied to you|

Or if the red is not in the apple, it means that the apple is not the actual cause of you seeing it red, but that God causes you to see red when you look at the apple|




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Answer 3

1. He is saying that the truth or essence of any thing is not defined solely by it's potential, quality or how you experience it.

2. It's important to not forget how this fits in with a great deal of all of Locke's attitudes. Here is a guy that believed in seeing different aspects of the same thing, different interpretations, he was a great mind in that way. Example: look at some of his other quotes:

A) Education begins the gentleman, but reading, good company and reflection must finish him.

B) It is of great use to the sailor to know the length of his line, though he cannot with it fathom all the depths of the ocean.

Perhaps you could compare and contrast them? As you cna see they are in some ways, in a similar vein!

3) Look also at this chart. A great deal of philosophy concerns itself with what things MEAN versus what they ARE versus what they are CALLED etc etc.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Epistemology

Good luck!

Answer 4

Pain and red are 'perceptions' that the human derives from the knife and the apple, respectively.

The knife knows nothing about the pain it causes when it cuts. The apple knows nothing about the red that the mind perceives when light is reflected off of it.

Hope this helps you. Best wishes and good luck.

Answer 5

Haha ms. G. Im looking for the same thing.

Answer 6

could you tell me what pice of his work it is from