Locke and the Mysteries of Perception

John Locke's theory of perception was developed at a time when the orthodox account of this most basic tie between mind and world was being called into question. New theories competed against the old Aristotelian view and against each other, chief among them those of the Cartesians and the neo-Epicureans. In Locke and the Mysteries of Perception, Walter Ott provides a unified reading of Locke's theory of perception, informed by works with which Locke himself was familiar. Ott shows how tensions that have long puzzled Locke's readers can often be resolved by attending to the goals and assumptions that propel his thought.

Locke emerges as a transitional figure, struggling to reconcile elements of three disparate positions: though Locke was no Aristotelian, he maintained the doctrine of common sensibles; though not a Cartesian, he exploits their theory of natural judgment; and though not an Epicurean, he appeals to the passivity of sense perception to guarantee its accuracy. Driven by his commitment to experience as both the ultimate tribunal and sole source of our ideas, Locke attempted to meld all three positions into a coherent philosophy of perception capable of accommodating the results of Kepler and the new science. Whether he can succeed is the chief question of this book.