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Locke's Theory on Primary and Secondary Qualities Locke is interested in the role of experience in the search for knowledge. He is an empiricist. He believes that our senses are the only basis for knowledge. He sees the human mind as white paper, void of all characters without any ideas prior to experience. (pg. 104) In order to understand Locke's conception of primary and secondary qualities we must focus on five key points. First, I will examine what ideas are and how they are caused by qualities in external objects. Next, I will examine primary qualities, which are inseparable from the object.
Third, Ill look at secondary qualities, and how theyre only powers to produce specific ideas in our mind. Fourth, how Locke believes that sensation and reflection, (which is the source of simple and complex ideas, ) are an essential link between the objects and our ideas. And Lastly, Locke's outlook on the existence of objects regarding their primary and secondary qualities. Locke differentiates between ideas or perceptions in our minds and the modifications of matter in the bodies that cause such perceptions (pg. 149) In other words, these ideas or perceptions in our mind only occur after we receive the impression or sensation, which is caused by the qualities in the body of the object or the power in the object to produce such an idea. An idea according to Locke is whatsoever the mind perceives in itself, or is the immediate object of perception, thought, or understanding. (pg. 134) Ideas are those things which our mind has and only consists of. Ideas are caused by the qualities in objects.
An object such as a blanket, for example, may cause an idea of being blue, soft and square because of the qualities in the blanket itself. The qualities in the blanket cause the ideas in our minds. Locke believes that these ideas stand for or represent the qualities of the objects. Our ideas of blue, soft and square stand for or represent the qualities which the blanket has that causes our ideas of that blanket.
The words blue, soft and square may stand for those qualities but the words themselves dont stand for them. This introduces Locke's theory of primary and secondary qualities. Primary, or sometimes called real qualities are those that are of the body, solidity, extension, figure, motion or rest, and number. They are utterly inseparable from the body in what estate soever it be. (pg. 135) The qualities stay the same no matter what states and changes they may go through. For example, water still has the same basic or primary qualities whether it takes the form of ice or steam. Although its secondary qualities, (color, sound, taste etc. ) and the way we perceive it changes.
The primary qualities are the essential qualities of matter that without these qualities the matter wouldnt exist. The ideas that primary qualities produce are of resemblance to that object because they are the qualities that the object actually has. Secondary qualities are nothing in the Objects themselves, but powers to produce various Sensations in us by their primary qualities. (pg. 135) These sensations are things such as color, sound, taste etc. According to Locke the material world does exist because of primary qualities but we only have access to it from certain secondary qualities and therefore only have an idea of its materiality but no real knowledge of it. The ideas that secondary qualities produce are of no resemblance to that object because they are the qualities that the object does not have rather only the power to produce certain ideas of which we can perceive. For Locke, all thinking begins with sensation.
The source of ideas of sensation are external objects. And as already mentioned, external objects have the power to bring about ideas in us, but the ideas themselves are not in the external objects, only the power to produce ideas, which Locke calls qualities are in the object. The process of what Locke terms sensation goes like this: there is an object in the external world (ie. a peach) we perceive this object through our five senses (ie. sight, smell, touch, taste) the object produces ideas in us (ie. its orangy / yellow , fuzzy, sweet) and these ideas are transferred to our mind and become our thoughts.
The second part of our knowledge Locke believes to be reflection. Which supplies us with the ideas such as Perception, Thinking, Doubting, Believing, Reasoning, Knowing, Willing. (pg. 165) They are ideas of the minds own operation. The source for the ideas of reflection are only in the mind and are not in the external objects. So it can be said that our first ideas must be ideas of sensation, produced by the power of the external objects or the qualities which bring about these ideas which when they enter our mind, we can reflect upon using introspection. Therefore, these sensations and reflections are only the sources of our ideas and are either as Locke terms them simple ideas of sensation or reflection or complex ideas created from simpler ones. As is apparent, Locke views sensations and reflections as an important and valuable link between our ideas in our mind and the objects in the external world.
Locke's view is that the real qualities of an object are the primary ones and would exist whether we perceived them or not, whereas secondary qualities exist only because we perceive them and wouldnt exist if we didnt. This is a good argument which Locke goes on to discuss when describing his theory about resemblance. It offers a temporary answer to why our perceptions are often mistaken thus causing us to doubt the existence of any material object. For how is it that we can agree that a certain object exists if we have different perceptions of it? For example if I perceive a sound from a trumpet as being loud while someone else perceives it as quiet, how is it that we can agree that it is either loud or quiet or for that matter whether it exists at all except for in our imagination. Locke would say that although we perceive the sound from the trumpet differently depending on our sensation of it, that its primary qualities still allow it to exist regardless of how the power of the secondary quality produces a mistaken idea about it.
This is a good argument for someone who is looking for an easy way out, so to speak. But for a deep thinking philosopher, (which most are, ) one can argue that just because you cant perceive of something doesnt mean that it doesnt exist. A perfect example is God which is an age-old debate based on this line of argument. In summary, according to Locke ideas are caused by qualities in external objects. These qualities are either primary, which are inseparable from the object, or secondary and are only powers to produce specific ideas in our mind.
Locke also believes that sensation and reflection, which are the sources of simple and complex ideas, are an essential link between the objects and our ideas. Lastly, he argues that the existence of an object is based solely on its primary qualities. Regardless of the arguments and criticisms against Locke one cannot discredit him for his contribution and influence in Philosophy from then till now. 42 d Locke John, extracts from An Essay Concerning Human Understanding, Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1975 Locke John, An Essay Concerning Human Understanding, U. S. A. : Penguin Classics 1998
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