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Modern philosophy originates during the scientific revolution, and Michael Jacovides provides an engaging account of how this scientific background influences one of the foremost figures of early modern philosophy, John Locke. With this guiding thread, Jacovides gives clear and accurate answers to some of the central questions surrounding Locke's Essay Concerning Human Understanding. Why does he say that we have an obscure idea of substance? Why does he think that we perceive a two-dimensional array of color patches? Why does he think that matter can't naturally think? Why does he analyze secondary qualities as powers to produce ideas in us?
Jacovides' method also allows him to trace the effects of Locke's scientific outlook on his descriptions of the way things appear to him and on his descriptions of the boundaries of conceivability. By placing Locke's thought in its scientific, religious, and anti-scholastic contexts, Jacovides explains not only what Locke believes but also why he believes it, and he thereby uncovers reveals the extra-philosophical sources of some of the central aspects of Locke's philosophy.
List of contents
- 1: Introductory
- 2: Hypotheses and Derivations
- 3: The Boundaries of Conceivability
- 4: Our Ignorance of Corporeal Substances
- 5: Primary Qualities
- 6: Matter, Mind, and God
- 7: The Visual Array
- 8: Resemblance and Cognition
- 9: Meaning and Secondary Qualities
- 10: Last Words
About the author
Michael Jacovides is Associate Professor of Philosophy at Purdue University. He has published ten papers on various aspects of Locke's philosophy along with other papers, including Experiences as Complex Events, Hume's Vicious Regress, and How is Descartes' Argument Against Scepticism Better than Putnam's?.
Summary
Michael Jacovides provides an engaging account of how the scientific revolution influenced one of the foremost figures of early modern philosophy, John Locke. By placing Locke's thought in its scientific, religious, and anti-scholastic contexts, Jacovides explains not only what Locke believes but also why he believes it.
Additional text
"Locke's Image of the World is an impressive feat of scholarship. The exposition of late scholastic science and the then developing science, along with how these scientific theories influence Locke, is meticulous, clear, and engaging... the book will be of interest not only to Locke's interpreters but also to those engaged in intellectual history, the history of science, and philosophy of science more generally."
Report
Locke's Image of the World is an impressive feat of scholarship. The exposition of late scholastic science and the then developing science, along with how these scientific theories influence Locke, is meticulous, clear, and engaging. Jacovides succeeds in his goal to show how the science of Locke's day influences his philosophy. ... the book will be of interest not only to Locke's interpretersbut also tothose engaged in intellectual history, the history of science, and philosophy of science more generally. Nathan Rockwood, Locke Studies
