God???

Locke states that god exist although we can no prove that he does with out proof. I must disagree on this. Even though I believe in god how would I actually know he does exist. If it was not for my parents and the people around me. I would not have the thought of a greater being that creates everything around us. Just think about it if no one ever mentioned the word god and the meaning of him. And just one day a stranger comes and tells you that there is man called god. And controls everything around us and makes all the choices. You would turn around and think this man is crazy. So when Locke says that god does exist with out proof. How is that so when no one actually saw him. You can not base your knowledge on something by the words that come out of peoples mouths.

I think it will be granted easily that if a child were kept in a place where he never saw any other but black and white till he were a man, he would have no more ideas of scarlet or green..." (Locke, pg61) Locke is trying to say in this paragraph that when a child is born he is not aware of his surroundings. That he takes in what he hears around him and what he sees. When locke finished his last line. Saying if he never saw any other but black and white till he were a man, he would have no more ideas of scarlet or green. I think different though because there is never a black or white to start with. Colors would come darker or lighter to see a object. So if a baby cant see color and only sees black or white. Then that baby would not only see black or white but would make a whole different set of colors from just the two of them. "So no matter what he would always have more ideas of scarlet or green"

cause and effect

For the longest time, we were taught that when something happens, it will cause something else. Without the cause there can be no effect. When you get a cut, you bleed; when you snap your fingers, you get a sound. Even though this is true, there may not always be the same effect from one cause. I may get sick 100 times after eating a certain food, but on that 100 first time, I could be perfectly fine. There is never a certainty as to what can happen from a cause, but it is certain that there will be an effect.

"Every one will readily allow, that there is a considerable difference between the perceptions of the mind, when a man feels the pain of excessive heat, or pleasure of moderate warmth, and when he afterwards recalls to his memory this sensation,or anticipates it by his imagination. These faculties may mimic is copy the perception if the senses; but they never can entirely reach the force and vivacity of the original sentiment."

I agree that we can often recall a feeling that we will never forget, but we cannot reach the original perception of each feeling we have. I can easily recall that I was really warm sitting in class the other day, but until I feel that again, I cannot truly understand the sentiment. Memory often fades in and out throughout time, and unforunately that is somethign we cannot change.

"If you tell me, that any person is in love, i easily understand your meaning, and form a just conception of his situation; but never can mistake that conception for the real disorders and agitations of the passion."
I believe Hume is trying to say that unless he is experiencing something, he cannot know what it feels like. You can easily understand waht it is like to be inlove, afraid, sad, happy, etc. but unless you are feeling those emotions, you cannot conceive their situation. I often try to put myself in other people's positions to understand where they are coming from or to treat them how I would want to be treated, but it is harder than you think. I hear myself saying "oh I would be so mad" or "I would hate that", but how do I know that unless I am in that situation in that instance?

chance

"Though there be no such thing as Chance in the world; our ignorance of the real cause of any event has the same influence on the understanding...there is certainly a probability"

I believe that there is always a chance of anything. There is a chance it may rain tomorrow; there is a chance my teacher may cancel class. You never know what the future holds, and I beileve that undoubtedly.

" One, who in our climate, should expect better weather in any week of June than in one of December, would reason justly, and comformably to experience; but it is certain, that he may happen, in the event, to find himself mistaken.

Situations in life usually develop a pattern in which we follow to predict what may happen. We predict things from past experiences, but these experiences may not always lead us in the right direction. Weather is the perfect example because weather forecasters are rarely correct. They predict sunny skies for ur vacation and you find yourself with a week of rain. You predict you will beat the underdog in a basketball game but wind up losing in the last minute. You can predict, but it doesn't mean you're accurate.

thoughts or ideas

"Here therefore we may divide all the perceptions of the mind into two classes or species, which are distinguished by their different degrees of force and vivacity. The less forbidle and lively are commonly denominated THOUGHTS or IDEAS."

To Hume, thoughts and ideas are based on impressions. Impressions left on the mind lead us to perceive the meaning behind them which causes our thoughts or ideas. Our thoughts could be reactions to something, feelings about something, or emotions. On the other hand our ideas are a collaboration of all of those things and our ideas bring about something new.

constantly repeated ideas can scarce be lost

".. those (ideas) that are oftenest refreshed by a frequent return of the objects or actions that produce them, fix themselves best in the memory, and remain clearest and longest there..." (pg 99, Locke)"

When something is constantly being repeated, it is easiest for the mind to store it in its memory. For instance, if someone spends a large quantity of time with either a specific person, or if they are even exposed to a constant behavior, many different stimulants will trigger a memory of that subject when they aren't around it. Consistency and repitition are also one of the basic building blocks for intelligence also. By constantly imprinting something in someone's mind, it is seen and/or noticed more and more and eventually it becomes learned. It will even be triggered when the slightest hint of it is mentioned elsewhere.

The denominotations of actions often mislead us

"But because very frequently the positive idea of the action, and its moral relation are comprehended together under one name, and the same word made use of to express both the mode or action, and its moral rectitude or obliquity, therefore the relation itself is less taken notice of; and there is often no distiction made between the positive idea of the action, and the reference it has to a rule."

Actions depend on whether or not they are done in good favor. Some words have a bad conotation. For example, if I were to tell you I smell an odor. One would think it is a terrible smell. When infact I could be speaking of the odor of a rose. Language is full of many words and actions. If an action or word is being used in good favor is it really considered a bad action or does it depend on the context the word or action is being used?

Perception

From birth we are observing things, people, and behaviors. These behaviors will later be peceived as either good or bad to any given person. By using our senses we try to understand what exactly we are seeing, hearing,smelling, tasting, or feeling. From these clues we can make judgement from our past experiences. Depending on the environment,and how the person was raised will determine how that indvidual person will percieve that person, action, or object.

as observed by children

"But all that are born into the world being surrounded with bodies that perpetually and diversely afect them, variety of ideas whether care to be taken or no, are imprinted on the minds of children...Light and colours are busy at hand everywhere the eye is but open; but sounds and some tangible qualities fail not to solicit their proper senses, and force entrance to the mind; but yet I think it will be granted easily that if a child were kept in a place where he never saw any other but black and white till he were a man, he would have no more ideas of scarlet or green..." (Locke, pg61)

From what I take of this, Locke is stating that as a child we are observant to sound, and attracted towards light and color. Some things we tend to focus more on, and some of which we observe and tend to not pay attention to. Locke discusses that we subconsciously manage to imprint both in our minds. What we first see and familiarize ourselves with as a child is what we are subjected to know. For example, Locke says that "if a child were kept in a place where he never saw any other but black and white till he were a man, he would have no more ideas of scarlet or green" . This means that even though at birth that child may have seen reds and blues, the mind is immature, inexperienced, and underdeveloped. Therefore, if the child grew up from then on only knowing of black and white, then it will no longer remember the other colors because as the brain developes, it familiarizes with only black and white through constant repetition.

Knowing God exists... or not knowing?

Locke explains how we KNOW that God exists. He explains states that God isn't necessarily an innate idea. But, we know that God does exist although he/she/it leaves no evidence of being a true life form.

I would have to disagree that we as humans just KNOW that God exists. It is apparent that some people believe in the idea of a God, where as other do not. But, once again, when we are born, we have NO knowledge of any type of God, until however, we are taught about it. From then on we search for evidence to further prove this theology, and when some unexplainable event happens, we tend to say it was a miracle of God. I disagree because, what if someone was NEVER EVER told about a greater being such as a God, and that person lived life without ever knowing of the idea altogether. That means that person wouldn't have thoughts about God, therefore the belief in God is not an innate idea. They may possibly end up forming some kind of thought that maybe there is SOMETHING, but that could only be done through the prosses of actually thinking, comparing, and recognizing, which are all innate properties.

idea, the object of thinking

it is apparent that we as human beings possess the power to form thoughts. For this is a quality that sets us apart from all other 'animals'. Obviously we are of the most intelligent. What distinguishes us from all other species is that our brain has the capability to think and form thoughts. We are able to create ideas, recognize, and compare objects through our senses.

The questions Locke asks are, 'how is our brain ABLE to recognize these ideas?' And are these ideas instilled in our minds from the very beginning our existence? Is it our senses taht cause us to retrigger some undiscovered innate ideas by first recognizing an object? From my point of view, I feel that as we get older, our brains are more capable of comparing and contrasting for example, right from wrong, the good from the bad, and big versus small through experience and repetition. Saying that ideas are formed right from the beginning is tough to declare as a true statement, because we are unable to distinguish and recognize 'things' until we are taught how to, or told what that 'thing' is.