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Open Philosophy LibraryAn Essay Concerning Human UnderstandingJohn Locke

An Essay Concerning Human Understanding

By John Locke

John Locke's An Essay Concerning Human Understanding investigates the origin, structure and limits of human knowledge. Across four Books, Locke rejects innate ideas, traces thought to sensation and reflection, analyses perception and personal identity, examines language and abstraction, and distinguishes knowledge from probability. First published in 1689, it is a foundational statement of modern empiricism.

Publication
1689 (title page dated 1690); source based on the second edition
Genre
Empiricism; epistemology; philosophy of mind and language
Era
17th Century, Early Modern Philosophy

About this work

First published in 1689, An Essay Concerning Human Understanding is John Locke's foundational investigation of how ideas arise and how far human knowledge can extend. Book I rejects innate speculative and practical principles. Book II traces simple ideas to sensation and reflection, then explains how the mind forms complex ideas, relations and abstractions. It includes Locke's influential treatments of qualities, freedom and personal identity. Book III examines words, general terms and the difference between nominal and real essences. Locke argues that unclear and unstable language produces many philosophical disputes. Book IV defines knowledge as perceived agreement or disagreement among ideas and distinguishes intuitive, demonstrative and sensitive knowledge. Beyond certainty, responsible judgement must proportion assent to probability and evidence. Combining epistemology, philosophy of mind and philosophy of language, the Essay established central problems for Berkeley, Hume, Kant and the later empiricist tradition.

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