Propositions and Judgments in Locke and Arnauld: A Monstrous and Unholy Union?

Locke appears committed to the view that forming a propositional thought that p involves judging that p is true. He seems to inherit this commitment from traditional logics, like the Port-Royal Logic. P.T. Geach claims that pre-Fregean philosophers like Locke and Arnauld simply conflate predication and judgment and that the result is a “monstrous and unholy union.” I argue that Locke and Arnauld have good reasons for claiming that forming the propositional thought that p is to be explained in terms of judging that p, and that they can successfully respond to the problems that seem to face this view.