Locke's Ethics in “An Essay Concerning Human Understanding”

• Authors: Sławomir Raube
• Languages of publication: EN

Abstracts

EN

John Locke did not deal with ethical issues in a systematic way. However, in An Essay Concerning Human Understanding we can find several interesting remarks, which suggest that this English philosopher was deeply convinced that the formulation of a widely recognized ethical system is an easy task. It is enough to base it on a mathematical formula and a philosophical procedure of empiricism. Did Locke manage to convince the reader to his optimistic vision at least a little? Rather not. The ethical evidence he quotes are not as precise as mathematical ones while the examples of moral judgments are simply misleading.

• Publisher: Sciendo
• Journal: Studies in Logic, Grammar and Rhetoric
• Year: 2010
• Issue: 20(33)
• Pages: 79-88

Contributors

author

Sławomir Raube

• University of Bialystok