Locke Argues That in the Search for Truth We Must

question 14

True/False

Locke argues that in the search for truth we must beware the pitfalls of "enthusiasm" (passion or emotion) and always follow the lead of reason. Reason, he says, is a God-given faculty that demands we not entertain any proposition with greater assurance than is warranted by the evidence. We should not believe anything that reason does not support (although some mysteries such as immortality are beyond our understanding). Even revelation (immediate communication of some sort from God) must be corroborated by reason; otherwise, we cannot be sure that a revelation is genuine. A prime disrupter of the workings of reason is enthusiasm, which arises "from the conceits of a warmed or over-weening brain." Through enthusiasm we can fall prey to wishful thinking, overwrought imagination (especially the religious kind), and groundless feelings of certainty. "Reason," says Locke, "must be our last judge and guide in every thing."
-Locke thinks that believing a proposition to be true makes it true.

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