Level 38
1 day < 1 min
LeaderboardGuest · Log in
Modern Philosophy

British Empiricism: Locke, Berkeley, and Hume

The empiricist tradition that grounded all knowledge in sense experience, tracing a line from Locke's theory of ideas through Berkeley's idealism to Hume's radical skepticism about causation and the self.

60-Second Review

Express review

A condensed, point-by-point summary of the module, for reviewing right before a test or exam.

  1. Locke's Essay Concerning Human Understanding and the Tabula Rasa. Locke's 1689 Essay argues the mind starts as a blank slate filled only by experience.
  2. Locke on Primary and Secondary Qualities. Locke distinguishes qualities inherent in bodies from those that exist only as perceived effects.
  3. Berkeley's Idealism: Esse Est Percipi. Berkeley argues that to exist, for anything material, is simply to be perceived.
  4. Berkeley's Critique of Abstract Ideas and Material Substance. Berkeley denies both general abstract ideas and an unperceivable material substratum.
  5. Hume's Theory of Impressions and Ideas. Hume divides all mental contents into vivid impressions and their fainter copies, ideas.
  6. Hume on Causation, Induction, and Custom. Hume argues causal necessity is habit, not perceived connection, undermining inductive certainty.
  7. Hume's Skepticism about the Self and Personal Identity. Hume finds no impression of a constant self, only a bundle of fleeting perceptions.
  8. Hume's Moral Philosophy and the Is-Ought Problem. Hume grounds morality in sentiment, not reason, and flags the leap from is to ought.

This module continues after "Cartesian Rationalism and Continental Metaphysics" in the syllabus. If you haven't reviewed it yet, it may help set the context.

Key points

Visual module map

1Locke's Essay Concerning Human Understanding and the Tabula Rasa
2Berkeley's Idealism: Esse Est Percipi
3Hume's Theory of Impressions and Ideas
4Hume on Causation, Induction, and Custom
5Hume's Moral Philosophy and the Is-Ought Problem

Alternative visual view: a simplified sequence of some of the module's key points, in their order within the syllabus.

Your module mastery

0% (overall measurement)
Approximate breakdown by skill
Understanding of historiographical debate0%

A rough estimate based on the key points reviewed, not an exact measurement of actual mastery.

Final test

You need to review all key points to unlock the final test.

Optional mini-games

Extra practice, with no penalty, to reinforce the module's content.

Review Flashcards

Review each key point with cards that flip to reveal the summary.

Memory

Match each concept with its definition in as few attempts as possible.

Time Attack

Answer true or false statements before time runs out.

Chronological Order

Put the module's key points back in their original order.

Further reading

Bibliography and cited sources used to create this module.

  • Locke, J. (1689/1975). An Essay Concerning Human Understanding, ed. Peter H. Nidditch. Oxford: Clarendon Press.
  • Berkeley, G. (1710/1998). A Treatise Concerning the Principles of Human Knowledge, ed. Jonathan Dancy. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
  • Hume, D. (1739–1740/2000). A Treatise of Human Nature, ed. David Fate Norton and Mary J. Norton. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
  • Hume, D. (1748/2000). An Enquiry Concerning Human Understanding, ed. Tom L. Beauchamp. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
  • Woolhouse, R.S. (1988). The Empiricists. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
  • Stroud, B. (1977). Hume. London: Routledge & Kegan Paul.