Locke: Where knowledge comes from

In the second book, Locke talks about where knowledge comes from. Locke first starts out talking about how knowledge is a build-up of ideas (simple ideas and complex ideas). Simple ideas are then combined to create complex ideas, thus simple ideas are the single basic units of knowledge. He then talks about how thier are two types of experiences in which we gain simple ideas. The first one is through sensation or the body experiencing the world through senses, touch, taste, smell, sight and hearing. The second type of experience is reflection or the mind turning in on itself and recongnizes on its own functions, thinking and so on.

Then Locke talks about how he breaks down simple ideas into four categories. The first is ideas we get from a single sense, such as hearing a car pass by outside. The second is ideas we get from combining two senses. The third is ideas that come out from relfection of the mind and the fourth and final category is ideas that come from the combination of senses and relfection.

Finally Locke breaks down complex ideas also into four categories. Modes, which are ideas that cannot exist in and of themselves like numbers. Substance , which are men or animals such as a single substaning thing or a army as in a collection of substaning things. Relations, which are father, sister and so on. Finally the last category is abstract generals, which are man or sheep, not talking about any particular man or sheep just the general idea of man or sheep.