Commonplace Entry 8: John Locke's Essay Concerning Human Understanding
Said Locke in his philosophical quest of an essay to understand humanity, "I know there are not enough words in any language to answer all the variety of ideas that enter into men's discourses and reasonings" (109).
Locke is confident there is no limit to the gaining of new knowledge in the world of the English. Thanks to the advancements of technology, science, and engineering in that world and outside of it, Locke recognizes the culture of England embracing values that prize the acquisition of knowledge. He represents the broader trend towards better human understanding, while also standing to critique the institutions that claim that to have "clear and distinct" ideas. Modern philosophers are also at odds with this theme in an Internet Era of accessible information, in deciphering what is true and what is not.
Locke, John. An Essay Concerning Human Understanding: From The Epistle to the Reader, The Norton Anthology of English Literature, 10th Edition, Volume C, The Restoration and The Eighteenth Century, New York, London, W.W. Norton Company, 2018, pp. 109.