The Influence Of John Locke On The Veil Of Ideas

John Locke is one of Britain’s foremost philosophers, and, at least in terms of political theory, one of the most influential modern philosophers as well. Although there have been arguments made against the true extent of his impact, it is generally agreed that many of the founders of the United States took his views into account while founding the government. Since that time many countries have taken his works, such a Second Treatise of Government, into account when reshaping their own system. However, beyond Locke’s political theory, he was also an epistemologist, examining how people can gain knowledge and formulate ideas. His thoughts on the matter led him to the conclusion that people can only know anything through experience. Beyond the most basic of instincts, such as the sucking reflex in infants, people are not hardwired with knowledge or morality. This conclusion shaped every aspect of Locke’s thought, including his political theory. There is, of course, a difficulty with his conclusion, and that is the Veil of Ideas. The Veil of Ideas, also known as the Veil of Perception, is problem that philosophers took
I will not say that I fully understand Locke’s position, but his theory does make more sense than Berkeley’s theory. I think that Locke’s explanation nicely explains why people can observe the same event and yet all have seen something different when they leave. A person’s individual ideas, desires, and worldviews will always color how they perceive the world. Basically, I agree with Locke more than Berkeley because his explanation better fits my individual sense datum and I am already in a position of bias against Berkeley’s theories due to his removal of the physical world. I am not going to agree with Berkeley on that matter, which leaves his explanations little than a point of interest and a thought exercise. For those reasons, I agree with Locke over