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--- philosophy:reading2 [2007/03/03 23:12] – cedwards
+++ philosophy:reading2 [2007/03/06 22:14] (current) – cedwards
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 **Gilson, Etienne. A History of Philosophy - Modern Philosophy - Descartes to Kant pp. 191-219 **
-Notes:
 John Locke's //An Essay Concerning Human Understanding// inspired Leibniz to write a 500 page essay parelleling the same topics. His //Two Treatises of Civil Government// inspired Whig Republicans in English and American politics for a century. He was not a professional philosopher, he was trained as a physician, but worked as secretary.
 The //Essay Concerning Human Understanding// was brought about by the Glorious Revolution, the successful opposition by protestants against the Catholic party of King James II.  In addition, the conception of God was rejected.
-Locke writes in a way that does not presume to supply the answers to all of the problems of the universe and goes so far to state that human understanding has its limitations.  He argues that there are no universal innate ideas, but a readiness to accept these ideas when they present themselves.
+Locke writes in a way that does not presume to supply the answers to all of the problems of the universe and goes so far to state that human understanding has its limitations.  He argues that there are no universal innate ideas, but a readiness to accept these ideas when they present themselves. He says an idea that is **determinate** is one that is present, definite, and primary.  **Determined** applies to complex ideas.  These ideas are constructed by thought processes within ourselves.
-An idea that is **determinate** is one that is present, definite, and primary.  Determined applies to complex ideas.  These ideas are constructed by thought processes within ourselves.
 Locke tries to show that what we know comes from experience rather than innate knowledge.  He calls  experience "our observation, employed either about external sense objects, or about the internal operations of our minds, perceived and reflected on by ourselves." He says that sensation alone is not the source of experience, but we must also use reflection, that notice which the mind takes of its own operations, and the manner of them."
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 Each simple idea has one uniform appearance, not distinguishable into parts.  Atoms of consciousness.  This is the basis for the construction of determined ideas.
-He describes 4 simple types of ideas:
+He describes four simple types of ideas:
   - Discrete sense data.
   - Discrete reflections on the operation of the mind.
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 **Kurtz, American Thought Before 1900, pp143-164**
-Thomas Jefferson followed Lockes reasoning in that people had natural rights.  Primary among these is the right to self-govern.  Among these rights are the rights of thinking, speaking, forming opinions.  None of these required external assistance. The second kind of rights are the right to personal protection, possessing property.  These rights, he argues, can be relinquished by a group of people to the betterment of the entire group. As for Locke's idea of rebellion being just if a government was unjust, Jefferson clearly thought that it too was justified.
+Thomas Jefferson followed Locke's reasoning in that people had natural rights.  Primary among these is the right to self-govern.  Among these rights are the rights of thinking, speaking, forming opinions.  None of these required external assistance. The second kind of rights are the right to personal protection, possessing property.  These rights, he argues, can be relinquished by a group of people to the betterment of the entire group. As for Locke's idea of rebellion being just if a government was unjust, Jefferson clearly thought that it too was justified.
 Jefferson believed that there was a natural aristocracy and one that was artificial.  The one that was natural, was based on the idea that those with virtue and wisdom, and talent would be the ones that were elected to rule.  The artificial aristocracy being one based on wealth and birth, he deemed, was detrimental to the well-being of a republic.
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 Jefferson's famous letter to the Danbury Baptist Association set forth the doctrine of "separation of church and state" when he clarified that no legislature should establish a religion and should not prohibit the free exercise of a religion.
-Though he was attacked often as being an aetheist, he in fact often declared his belief in a Creator.  He argued for reason in interpretation of the Bible in matters that contradicted the laws of nature and one should think critically of what one reads in material in the Bible just as one would of any other writer.  "Your own reason is the only oracle given you by heaven", he reasons in his argument to read the Bible (and other histories of Christ) and make your own judgments of the truth.
+Though he was attacked often as being an atheist, he in fact often declared his belief in a Creator.  He argued for reason in interpretation of the Bible in matters that contradicted the laws of nature and one should think critically of what one reads in material in the Bible just as one would of any other writer.  "Your own reason is the only oracle given you by heaven", he reasons in his argument to read the Bible (and other histories of Christ) and make your own judgments of the truth.
 Furthermore, he describes the many years of Christian thought to be using Plato, which he thought poorly of as corrupting the teachings of Christ.  He sites the moral doctrines of Jesus as being more perfect than even the greatest of philosophers, though he does liken Jesus to Socrates and Epictetus in that none of them actually wrote anything down.
-He argues that if morality comes merely from the love of God, then where do the moralities of an atheist come from?
+He asks that if morality comes merely from the love of God, then where do the moralities of an atheist come from?
 **Marx, Karl //The Communist Manifesto// from //The Primary Source// pp. 1-27**