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Having Locke’s Ideas
- Journal of the History of Philosophy
- Johns Hopkins University Press
- Volume 48, Number 1, January 2010
- pp. 35-59
- 10.1353/hph.0.0189
- Article
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Our understanding of Locke’s theory of ideas is stymied by his reticence about what he means by ‘idea’. I attempt to work around the problem by focusing on some neglected questions that afford us a better picture of his theory. I ask not what his ideas are, but what kinds of states or episodes he counts as someone’s having an idea, and what is involved in having simple and complex ideas. I argue that although we can make sense of much of what he says about having simple and complex ideas, he is muddled about simplicity and complexity.