John Locke; Father of Empiricism
Empiricism, Limited Government, Free Enterprise. Womens Rights
"The understanding faculties being given to man, not barely for speculation, but also for the Conduct of his Life. Man would be at a great loss if he had nothing to direct him, but what has the certainty of true knowledge... Therefore, as God has set some Things in broad day-light; as he has given us some certain Knowledge...So in the greater part of our Concernment, he has afforded us only the twilight, as I may say so, of Probability, suitable, I presume, to that State of Mediocrity and Probationership, he has been pleased to place us in here, wherein to check our over-confidence and presumption, we might by every day's Experience be made sensible of our short sightedness and liableness to Error..."(IV, xiv, 1-2., p. 652)
"As Demonstration is the shewing of the agreement or disagreement of two Ideas, by the intervention of one or more Proofs, which have a constant, immutable, and visible connexion one with another: so Probability is nothing but the appearance of such an Agreement or Disagreement, by the intervention of Proofs, whose connection is not constant and immutable, or at least is not perceived to be so, but is or appears, for the most part to be so, and is enough to induce the Mind to judge the Proposition to be true, or false, rather than the contrary." (IV., xv, 1., p. 654) ...John Locke
John Locke