John Locke

Empiricists such as John Locke founded their metaphysics in the observable world, not in purely theoretical creations. In contrast to rationalists such as Descartes, Leibniz, and Spinoza, who placed great emphasis on the use of reason to obtain knowledge, Locke thought that our knowledge of the world should rely on everyday experience, scientific observation, and common sense. Locke’s Essay Concerning Human Understanding portrays each individual as a blank slate. Each person’s experiences become notations on the slate and make him or her distinct from other people.

Hulton Deutsch

Appears in these articles

Education, History of; Locke, John; Philosophy, Western; Liberalism; Empiricism; Enlightenment, Age of

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