John Locke Essay - Assignment 1
John Locke published an essay in 1690 titled Essay Concerning Human Understanding. In the essay, he uses many metaphors to represent the mind. First, he uses the metaphor of mind=white paper. This metaphor highlights the fact that experiences are necessary in order to remember things and think about things. I'm not exactly sure what it hides...maybe the fact that it's harder to remember things than to write them down and be able to look them up at any time. Some people in society feel that humans need to be perfect (patients think their doctors need to be perfect, etc.). This metaphor demonstrates that thought, but hides the fact that, in all honesty, nobody's perfect. He also compares the mind's workings to painting. You paint on a blank paper, just as you learn new things and remember them from experience.
Locke asked the question, "How comes [the mind] to be furnished?" He's using the metaphor furniture=thoughts. He compares thoughts to furnishings of the mind. (The mind must be a cluttered place...) This metaphor highlights the fact that thoughts are something you rely on, but they are constantly changing, just as people change their furniture. You are constantly replacing the old with the new. This is true of thoughts because the old are replaced with the new, and the old thoughts become harder to remember with time. The metaphor hides the fact that some thoughts are easier to remember not because they are newer, but because they are more important.
He compares the mind's workings to Fountains of Knowledge. He says that thoughts about our experiences are one fountain, and thoughts about our thoughts are another. The metaphor highlights the fact that people are constantly thinking about both experiences and their thoughts, and the fact that our mind is an endless spring of water that is always working. It hides the fact that people don't always think the smartest, most intelligent things. People aren't always thinking about something important, we may just be thinking about ordering pizza or taking a nap. It also hides the fact that when people sleep we don't usually remember what we think. If society used this metaphor to think about thought, people would be working all the time because society would feel that people are constantly on task.
Locke asked the question, "How comes [the mind] to be furnished?" He's using the metaphor furniture=thoughts. He compares thoughts to furnishings of the mind. (The mind must be a cluttered place...) This metaphor highlights the fact that thoughts are something you rely on, but they are constantly changing, just as people change their furniture. You are constantly replacing the old with the new. This is true of thoughts because the old are replaced with the new, and the old thoughts become harder to remember with time. The metaphor hides the fact that some thoughts are easier to remember not because they are newer, but because they are more important.
He compares the mind's workings to Fountains of Knowledge. He says that thoughts about our experiences are one fountain, and thoughts about our thoughts are another. The metaphor highlights the fact that people are constantly thinking about both experiences and their thoughts, and the fact that our mind is an endless spring of water that is always working. It hides the fact that people don't always think the smartest, most intelligent things. People aren't always thinking about something important, we may just be thinking about ordering pizza or taking a nap. It also hides the fact that when people sleep we don't usually remember what we think. If society used this metaphor to think about thought, people would be working all the time because society would feel that people are constantly on task.
posted by Jenna @ 7:00 PM
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