Abstract
John Locke had a surprisingly robust and coherent conception of primary qualities. II.viii of the Essay contains Locke's most sustained thought about primary and secondary qualities that are considered in this chapter. The chapter presents a fairly straightforward reading of what Locke says about the distinction in II.viii, one that, in its general outlines, represents a sympathetic understanding of Locke's discussion. It then considers a few of the ways in which interpreting Locke on primary and secondary qualities has proven more complicated. The chapter also talks about the Berkeleyan interpretation of Locke, the understanding of Locke's resemblance thesis, and Locke's views of qualities and their relationship to powers. The chapter presents a discussion on the context and location of Locke's discussion, and then turns to the apparent structure of II.viii itself.
Original language | English |
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Title of host publication | A Companion to Locke |
Editors | Matthew Stuart |
Place of Publication | Japan |
Publisher | Wiley-Blackwell |
Chapter | 10 |
Pages | 193-211 |
Number of pages | 19 |
ISBN (Electronic) | 9781118328705 |
ISBN (Print) | 9781405178150 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published - 21 Oct 2015 |
Externally published | Yes |