Locke: The Truth Problem

[IV. v. 7] "...that if truth be nothing but the joining or seperating of words in propositions, as the ideas they stand for agree or disagree in men's minds, the knowledge of truth is not so valuable a thing, as it is taken to be; nor worth the pains and time men employ in the search of it: since by this account, it amounts to no more than the conformity of words, to the chimeras of men's brains..."

Here Locke is saying that if truth is nothing more than the ideas that people stand for then the truth is not very valuable and that it is not worth the pain and work that people go through to figure it out. I agree with Locke on this one. Where does truth come from? It comes from people. So many people are determined to get the truth out of things for which they will never find. Truth is simply the thoughts of all people and what they agree or disagree with. In that sense, everyone has knowledge of their own truths of which other people try to figure out.

Locke: The God Problem

[IV. x. 4] "That eternal being must be most powerful. Next, it is evident, that what had its being and beginning from another, must also have all that which is in, and belongs to its being from another too. All the powers it has, must be owing to, and received from the same source. This eternal source then of all being must also be the source and original of all power; and so this eternal being must be also the most powerful."

I think that what Locke is saying here is that all beings that have a "power" (I guess a Godly character) must get their power from another higher being. Is Locke suggesting here that God is not the highest power? and that God must have gotten his/her powers from another higher God of some sort? I was a little confused by what he was saying here. It is of most religions to believe in one higher power and nothing about that. I am a strong believer in God, but this statement made me think... is there another One that God got his powers from? No one really knows nor will no one ever know, but it is something interesting to think about.

LOCKE: God is NOT Innate [I. iv.]

"And I suppose there cannot be anything more ridiculous than to say that, children have this practical prinicple innate, that "God is to be worshipped;" and yet that they know not what that worship of God"(Sec. 7 pg.44)

Locke believes that God is not innate because the ideas of God and worship is not innate. When children are born they do not understand the meaning of the word "worship". He kind of compares the word "God" with "fire", "heat", and all these other words we do not understand when we are born. He says that we begin to understand these words when we get information from outside sources. He uses an example with children and if they were on an island alone with fire then they would not know the name of fire or what it is used for. I agree with him because it kind of reminds of the the idea that cavemen or whoever discovered fire did not know what it ws at first or what to do with it.

Locke: The God Problem

[IV. x. 6.] "Nay, I presume I may say, that we more certainly know that there is a GOD, than that there is anything else without us. When I say we know, I mean there is such a knowledge within our reach, which we cannot miss, if we will but apply out minds to that, as we do to several other inquiries."

This statement made me think about church and how important it can be to a religious person, but how easily faith can be forgotten or left behind. Everyone has the ability to believe in a God of some sort and we know that there is a higher power. Locke says that the knowledge of that high power in within reach for everyone, but only if we apply ourselves to it, as we do with other ideas and things. I think that many people these days have lost faith or have not given faith a chance. It is sad that so many people are willing to put so much effort into making money, being a work-aholic, playing video games, being a couch potato, etc..., but they don't even think to give religion a chance. I think that religion is a very important thing to have in today's society, no matter what religion it may be because with all of the negativity and sadness that it occurring lately; I find it useful to have an understanding of a higher power and to know that there is someone or something that is always there to listen and that there is faith for a better time. 

Locke: The Problem of Truth

[I. ii. 1.] "But because a man is not permitted without censure to follow his own thoughts in the search of truth, when they lead him ever so little out of the common road, I shall set down the reasons that made me doubt of the truth of that opinion as an excuse for my mistake, if I be in one; which I leave to be considered by those who, with me, dispose themselves to embrace truth wherever they find it."

I like this statement. Locke is saying that that a man who has his own thoughts about truth that are different then what society believes that the society expresses a disapproval of him. Locke thinks that people should overcome themselves so that they can embrace and seek truth wherever they may find it. I agree with this; Not one person should let his/her society influence what they think or what they desire to seek out, especially if it is truth. Truth is something that people need in life and I think that when and if truth is found the society can become better and stronger. Though people search truth it has not one meaning, but multiple meanings. Truth can be in honesty, good faith, fact, or reality, but whatever a person may seek they should be encouraged to do so.

Locke: God's Existence [I.iii.6]

"I grant the existence of God is so many ways manifest, and the obedience we owe him so congruous to the light reason" (pg.29)

I think Locke believes that it is clear that God exist but he is not innate because God is beneficial He believes that god has power and he is able to punish the bad and reward the good.

"God who sees men in the dark, has in his hand rewards and punishments, power enough to call to account the proudest offender. For God, having the inseprable connexion, joined virtue and public happiness together, and made the practice thereof necessary to the preservation of society, and visibly beneficial to whom all with whom the virtous man has to do; it is no wonder that everyone should not only allow, but recommend and magnify those rules to others, from whose observance of them he is sure to reap advantage of him" (pg.29)

This is where he explains how God sees everything and knows everything and has a lot of power. But I think that he is also saying that God is connected with happiness and goodness and these two things become apart of you when you believe in God.

Descartes Meditations Part 4

"... I certainly understand that error as such is not something real that depends upon God, but rather is merely a defect.. it just so happens that I make mistakes because the faculty of judging the truth, which I got from God, is not, in my case, infinite."

I agree with Descartes when he states these thing, but at the end he says, "... in my case...". I think that this applies to everyone, not just him. Error is within the nature of humans. Everyone has errors and flaws. I, personally, believe that error is a sin, but it is a sin that we must live with because of the choices of our biblical ancestors. This sentence, to me, as a lot of religious referencing. God had a plan for us to live perfectly, but that plan was quickly changed because of Eve and the apple from the Tree of Knowledge. Error and sin has a lot to do with truth and knowing right from wrong. If everyone knew everything, as far as, the truth I think that there would be a lot less error.     

Descartes Meditations Part 4

In paragraph 12 of Meditation 4 Descartes says, " Indeed I have no cause for complaint on the grounds that God has not given me a greater power of understanding or a greater light of nature than he has, for it is of the essence of a finite intellect not to understand many things, and it is of the essence of a created intellect to be finite."

Here I think that Descartes is using the word "finite" in two different ways. The word finite means to have limits or boundaries or to not be infinitely small. "... for it is of the essence of a finite intellect not to understand many things." I think that Descartes is using the first meaning of finite here. He is saying that it is the nature of a limited knowledge to not understand many things. This is to say that those who have a small or sparse amount of knowledge are not going to understand as much as those with more. "... and it is the essence of a created intellect to be finite." I think that Descartes is using the second definition of "finite" in this section of the statement. He is saying that it is of the nature of a created knowledge to not be infinitely small. In my mind this makes some sort of sense, but it seems kind of obvious in a way. It seems obvious that someone with a limited knowledge would not understand many things, but I can't figure out if he meant something else by this that I'm not catching onto. Is there anything that anyone else gets from this?      

Discourse Part 4

I was looking for a quote about education for an essay and I came across this---> "Life at university, with its intellectual and inconclusive discussions at a postgraduate level is on the whole a bad training for the real world."

This quote reminded of waht Descartes talks about in the Discourse. "And this I thought that book learining, at least the kind whose reasonings are merely probable and that do not have any demonstartions, having been composed and enlarged little by little from the opinions of may different persons, does not draw nearly so close to the truth as the simple reasonings that a man of good sense can naturally make about the things he encounters".

I think that both of these quotes are saying the same exact thing. They have to do with how things you learn in school, books, and from you're teachers and parents are not good or truthful because they do not prepare you for the real world. You can have an education and read good books and learn things but the things you are learning does not prepare you for or teach you about life.