Overview

Modern philosophy originates during the scientific revolution, and Michael Jacovides provides an engaging account of how this scientific background influences one of the foremost figures of early modern philosophy, John Locke. With this guiding thread, Jacovides gives clear and accurate answers to some of the central questions surrounding Locke's Essay Concerning Human Understanding. Why does he say that we have an obscure idea of substance? Why does he think that we perceive a two-dimensional array of color patches? Why does he think that matter can't naturally think? Why does he analyze secondary qualities as powers to produce ideas in us? Jacovides' method also allows him to trace the effects of Locke's scientific outlook on his descriptions of the way things appear to him and on his descriptions of the boundaries of conceivability. By placing Locke's thought in its scientific, religious, and anti-scholastic contexts, Jacovides explains not only what Locke believes but also why he believes it, and he thereby uncovers reveals the extra-philosophical sources of some of the central aspects of Locke's philosophy.

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9780198843863

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Locke's Image of the World is an impressive feat of scholarship. The exposition of late scholastic science and the then developing science, along with how these scientific theories influence Locke, is meticulous, clear, and engaging. Jacovides succeeds in his goal to show how the science of Locke's day influences his philosophy. ... the book will be of interest not only to Locke's interpretersbut also tothose engaged in intellectual history, the history of science, and philosophy of science more generally. * Nathan Rockwood, Locke Studies * This illuminating and provocative book. . . . . It is exceptionally well written, and supplies a coherent narrative from a consistent point of view. Jacovides is sympathetic without being uncritical; and whether defending Locke or criticizing him, he puts all of his cards on the table. This is a valuable addition to the literature on Locke, not least because Jacovides makes such an effort to see things as Locke might have seen them, and to get us to do that too. * Matthew Stuart, Notre Dame Philosophical Reviews * Throughout his book, Jacovides's scholarship is impressive, his writing clear and concise, and his assessments of Locke original and engaging. In sum, his book, while impressive as intellectual history is much more than intellectual history in the conventional sense. All in all, a remarkable achievement. * Raymond Martin, Philosophy * An excellent synthesis and extension of nearly two decades worth of scholarship from a leading Locke scholar. Jacovides has not only enriched his work by deepening its historical grounding-he has added much rich philosophy.... and it has all been organized into an elegant package. The book is a must read for any Locke scholar and is well worth the time of anyone interested in the interplay between seventeenth century metaphysics, epistemology, and natural philosophy. * Matthew Priselac, Metascience * In Locke's Image of the World, Michael Jacovides pursues two goals. The first is to show how Locke's work was embedded in the science and natural philosophy of its time. The second is to show, by using Locke as a case study, that our image of the world is often shaped in important ways by the set of assumptions and ideas that inform our perceptual access to it. To combine these two goals in a single study is ambitious, but Jacovides succeeds in his attempt.... Locke's Image of the World is an extremely rich book that achieves its twofold goal. * Han Thomas Adriaenssen, British Journal for the History of Philosophy * Locke's Image of the World is an impressive feat of scholarship. The exposition of late scholastic science and the then developing science, along with how these scientific theories influence Locke, is meticulous, clear, and engaging... the book will be of interest not only to Locke's interpreters but also to those engaged in intellectual history, the history of science, and philosophy of science more generally. * Nathan Rockwood, Locke Studies *

Locke's Image of the World is an impressive feat of scholarship. The exposition of late scholastic science and the then developing science, along with how these scientific theories influence Locke, is meticulous, clear, and engaging... the book will be of interest not only to Locke's interpreters but also to those engaged in intellectual history, the history of science, and philosophy of science more generally. * Nathan Rockwood, Locke Studies * In Locke's Image of the World, Michael Jacovides pursues two goals. The first is to show how Locke's work was embedded in the science and natural philosophy of its time. The second is to show, by using Locke as a case study, that our image of the world is often shaped in important ways by the set of assumptions and ideas that inform our perceptual access to it. To combine these two goals in a single study is ambitious, but Jacovides succeeds in his attempt.... Locke's Image of the World is an extremely rich book that achieves its twofold goal. * Han Thomas Adriaenssen, British Journal for the History of Philosophy * An excellent synthesis and extension of nearly two decades worth of scholarship from a leading Locke scholar. Jacovides has not only enriched his work by deepening its historical grounding-he has added much rich philosophy.... and it has all been organized into an elegant package. The book is a must read for any Locke scholar and is well worth the time of anyone interested in the interplay between seventeenth century metaphysics, epistemology, and natural philosophy. * Matthew Priselac, Metascience * Throughout his book, Jacovides's scholarship is impressive, his writing clear and concise, and his assessments of Locke original and engaging. In sum, his book, while impressive as intellectual history is much more than intellectual history in the conventional sense. All in all, a remarkable achievement. * Raymond Martin, Philosophy * This illuminating and provocative book. . . . . It is exceptionally well written, and supplies a coherent narrative from a consistent point of view. Jacovides is sympathetic without being uncritical; and whether defending Locke or criticizing him, he puts all of his cards on the table. This is a valuable addition to the literature on Locke, not least because Jacovides makes such an effort to see things as Locke might have seen them, and to get us to do that too. * Matthew Stuart, Notre Dame Philosophical Reviews * Locke's Image of the World is an impressive feat of scholarship. The exposition of late scholastic science and the then developing science, along with how these scientific theories influence Locke, is meticulous, clear, and engaging. Jacovides succeeds in his goal to show how the science of Locke's day influences his philosophy. ... the book will be of interest not only to Locke's interpretersbut also tothose engaged in intellectual history, the history of science, and philosophy of science more generally. * Nathan Rockwood, Locke Studies *

Locke's Image of the World is an impressive feat of scholarship. The exposition of late scholastic science and the then developing science, along with how these scientific theories influence Locke, is meticulous, clear, and engaging... the book will be of interest not only to Locke's interpreters but also to those engaged in intellectual history, the history of science, and philosophy of science more generally. * Nathan Rockwood, Locke Studies * In Locke's Image of the World, Michael Jacovides pursues two goals. The first is to show how Locke's work was embedded in the science and natural philosophy of its time. The second is to show, by using Locke as a case study, that our image of the world is often shaped in important ways by the set of assumptions and ideas that inform our perceptual access to it. To combine these two goals in a single study is ambitious, but Jacovides succeeds in his attempt.... Locke's Image of the World is an extremely rich book that achieves its twofold goal. * Han Thomas Adriaenssen, British Journal for the History of Philosophy * An excellent synthesis and extension of nearly two decades worth of scholarship from a leading Locke scholar. Jacovides has not only enriched his work by deepening its historical grounding-he has added much rich philosophy.... and it has all been organized into an elegant package. The book is a must read for any Locke scholar and is well worth the time of anyone interested in the interplay between seventeenth century metaphysics, epistemology, and natural philosophy. * Matthew Priselac, Metascience * Throughout his book, Jacovides's scholarship is impressive, his writing clear and concise, and his assessments of Locke original and engaging. In sum, his book, while impressive as intellectual history is much more than intellectual history in the conventional sense. All in all, a remarkable achievement. * Raymond Martin, Philosophy * This illuminating and provocative book. . . . . It is exceptionally well written, and supplies a coherent narrative from a consistent point of view. Jacovides is sympathetic without being uncritical; and whether defending Locke or criticizing him, he puts all of his cards on the table. This is a valuable addition to the literature on Locke, not least because Jacovides makes such an effort to see things as Locke might have seen them, and to get us to do that too. * Matthew Stuart, Notre Dame Philosophical Reviews *

Author Information

Michael Jacovides is Associate Professor of Philosophy at Purdue University. He has published ten papers on various aspects of Locke's philosophy along with other papers, including Experiences as Complex Events, Hume's Vicious Regress, and How is Descartes' Argument Against Scepticism Better than Putnam's?.

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