Classification of Ideas in Locke's Essay

Abstract

The usual interpretation of Locke's Essay concerning Human Understanding is that he tried to show that all of men's complex ideas were formed by a process of compounding simple ideas. Some commentators say this represents his actual approach o t human knowledge, others say that while parts of the Essay are written in this manner it does not represent his final views. All agree that if this compositionalism is Locke's position then it is inadequate and contains numerous contradictions. It is the thesis of this paper that Locke never was a compositionalist in the required sense and that therefore the inadequacies and contradictions do not exist. Since the compositionalists interpret the Essay mainly on the basis of the classification of ideas in the first edition rather than that in the fourth it will be necessary to examine the two classifications in the Essay to see which does represent Locke's position. It will be found that the fourth edition classification represents his views and that this refutes compositionalism.