Is Locke's Empiricism a Materialist Philosophy?——A Critical Examination of An Essay Concerning Human Understanding and Its Significance
Traditional interpretations often distinguish between materialism and idealism within empiricism,viewing Locke as the"completer"of the materialist empiricism system.However,an analysis of An Essay Concerning Human Understanding reveals that in Locke's empiricism,the concept of"idea"is central and serves as the primary focus of his research.His entire exploration and argumentation revolve around this concept.Locke's framework progresses from a passive state devoid of ideas to the development and establishment of simple ide-as,then from the elaboration of simple ideas to their complex forms and numerous manifestations,ultimately culminating in a rigorous and systematic knowledge framework.While Locke's theory does consider external things as the basis of experience—which includes materialist elements—this focus is not the main aim of his philosophy.Therefore,categorizing Locke's empiricism as purely materialistic is not entirely accurate.By tran-scending conventional boundaries and emphasizing the significance of"ideas"within Locke's empirical sys-tem,we not only recover the original logical structure of this philosophical masterpiece and the philosopher's genuine thought process but also gain valuable insights into the evolution of Western philosophy influenced by Locke,particularly in relation to Marx's concept of"new philosophy".
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