Between Empiricism and Platonism: The Concept of Reason in Locke’s Philosophy Elisabeth Thorsson PhD University of York Philosophy September 2016 Abstract Locke has long been read in the light of the ideas of Hobbes, that is, as a materialist philosopher, endorsing a conventional view of morality. Hobbes does this through an instrumentalist interpretation of the human reason and Epicurean naturalism (i.e. the hypothesis that everything is made of atoms). Even though Locke’s writings are replete with expressions of his Christian thought, scholars have suggested that Locke is committed to an empirical stance underwritten by these ultimately Epicurean commitments. There is, therefore, a tension in Locke’s philosophy between three divergent thought complexes: his empiricism, his commitment to Christianity, and what seems to be a form of scepticism. This tension poses an interpretative problem, especially concerning Locke’s claims about morality and theology, and the sincerity of his commitment to God. The Hobbist interpretation of Locke has gained ground in recent years, and as a result, Locke’s religious philosophy has been criticised for being either irrelevant or inconsistent. The purpose of this thesis is to engage in and refute that line of criticism by demonstrating that it is possible to give an alternative and richer account of Locke’s intellectual background. By focusing on Locke’s conception of reason, I trace new sources through an overlooked history of ideas from the ancient Platonic tradition, the Stoics, and the Jewish Neo-Platonist philosopher Philo of Alexandria, to the so-called Cambridge Platonists. In particular, I reinterpret Locke’s definition of reason in the light of the Platonist tradition, as containing certain metaphysical and universal traits that are inherently Platonist, and not as something instrumental. The Cambridge Platonists were prominently engaged in a debate against Hobbes, aiming to refute his materialism and arguing for the retainment of a classical understanding of the concept of reason in order to save Christian ethics from Epicureanism and atheism. With this thesis, I show that this debate was very much alive and present to Locke, which he also crucially partook in, and that he in fact sides with the Platonists more so than with Hobbes. 2 Content page Abstract 2 Abbreviations 7 Acknowledgements 8 Declaration 9 Chapter 1 Locke as the ‘Hobbist’ 1.1 Shaftesbury’s Allegations 11 1.2 Locke’s Empiricist Epistemology 17 - Moral Conventionalism - Locke’ Hedonistic Psychology - The will of God 1.3 Locke’s Contemporary reception 34 1.4 Locke’s Reception Today 42 1.5 Conclusion and Chapter overviews 53 Chapter 2 From Epicureanism to Voluntarism and Hobbism in the17th Century 2.1 Epicurean philosophy 58 2.2 Voluntarism and Rationalism: Plato’s Euthryphro’s dilemma 64 - The Problem of Euthyphro 2.3 The Epicurean revival in the 17th century 69 - Gassendi and theological voluntarism - Epicureanism in Hobbes 3 Chapter 3 From Platonism to Philo of Alexandria: Reason as the Logos 3.1 Platonism: on the Soul and the Roots of Innatism 80 3.2 The Stoic Logos 84 3.3 Philo of Alexandria – the Adopted Bishop 89 - Philo’s logos Chapter 4 Philo and Platonism in the 17th century Intellectual Context: From Grotius to the Cambridge Platonists Part I 4.1 Introduction 95 4.2 Philo and Philo Semitism in the 17th century. 96 4.3 Grotius, Philo, and the revival of Natural Law 99 4.4 Selden and Hobbes response to right reason 104 Part II 4.5 The Cambridge Platonists 115 - The Cambridge Platonists and Philo-Semitism 4.6 The Cambridge Platonists on Reason: The Candle of the Lord 123 4.7 Theology in the Cambridge Platonists: Reason and Grace 137 4.8 Epistemology in the Cambridge Platonists 145 4 Chapter 5 Locke’s Platonism and the Cambridge Platonists 5. 1 Locke and Platonism – the Scholarly Context 152 5. 2 Locke’s Education – Natural law and Philo-Semitism 158 - Locke and Philo 5.3 Locke and the Cambridge Platonists 169 - Locke’s notes on the Immortality and Immateriality of the Soul 5.4 Locke and Damaris: The 1682 Correspondence 176 - Divine knowledge – Damaris’s First Question - Smith’s Division of Knowledge - Locke’s reply - Enthusiasm – Damaris’ second question 5. 5 Conclusions 198 Chapter 6 Rethinking Locke: Locke’s Proof of God’s Existence and the ‘Thinking Matter’ Thesis as a Rejection of Materialism Part I. On Locke’s proof of God’s existence 6.1 Locke’s Definition of Reason 201 6.2 Locke on Enthusiasm and the Critique of the ‘Inner Light’ 203 6.3 Locke’s epistemology reconsidered 208 6.4 Locke’s Proof of God’s Existence 218 6.5 Knowledge of God - through the light of reason and meditation 235 Part II. The Thinking Matter Controversy 6.6 Introducing ‘Thinking matter’ 244 6.7 Conclusion thought not material 254 5 Chapter 7 On Locke’s Theory of Personal Identity and Theology Part I. On Locke’s Theory of Personal Identity 7.1 Locke’s Theory of Personal Identity: from Cudworth to Consciousness 256 7.2 Locke’s Concept of Consciousness 258 7.3 Soul, Substance and the Afterlife 266 Part II. On Locke’s Theology 7.4 Introduction – Locke’s theology 269 - Adam: the Image and the Fall - Jesus Christ - The Second Adam 7.5 The Law of Faith and the Law of Works 281 7.6 Locke’s Christology 286 Chapter 8 Conclusions and Further Research 8.1 Conclusions and summary 297 8.2 A Reply to Third Earl of Shaftesbury 303 8.3 Further research 306 Bibliography 309 6 List of Abbreviations Conduct Locke, J. The Conduct of Human Understanding, (Ed., Grant, Ruth and Tarcov, Nathan.) Indianapolis: Hackett Publishing Co., 1996 DRN Lucretius, De rerum natura, (Eng. tr. W. H. D. Rouse, revised by Martin Ferguson Smith), Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 1992. Essay Locke, J., An Essay Concerning Human Understanding (Clarendon ed. P. H. Nidditch ed.). Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1975. Essays Locke J., Essays on the Law of Nature: 1676. (ed. Wolfgang von Leyden), Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1970 KJV The Holy Bible, King James Version, Collins Bible, 1958 LWP Grotius, Hugo, De Jure Belli Ac Pacis Libri Tres [On the Law of War and Peace: Three Books] vol. 2, (trans. Kelsey, Francis W.) Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1925 Opfis. Philo, On the Creation, in Leonhardt-Balzer, Jutta, ‘Creation, the Logos and the Foundation of a City’, in Philo und das Neue Testament, (ed. Roland Deines; Karl-Wilhelm Niebuhr), Tubingen: Mohr Siebeck, 2004) pp. 323-344 TCE Locke, J. Some Thoughts Concerning Education, (eds., Yolton, John W. and Yolton, Jean S.,) Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1989 TIS Cudworth, Ralph. The True Intellectual System of the Universe, London: Richard Royston, 1678 TT Locke, J., Two Treatises of Government ed. P. Laslett, Cambridge: CUP, 1960. WR Locke J. The Reasonableness of Christianity as Delivered in the Scriptures, in Writings on Religion. (ed., Victor Nuovo.) Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2002. DL Laërtius, Diogenes. Life of Eminent Philosophers, translated by R. D. Hicks. Cambridge: Harvard University Press, 1972 7 Acknowledgements I first want to thank my supervisor Tom Stoneham, and his patience in seeing this thesis through with me to the very end. His kindness, understanding, and intellectual and moral support have been inexhaustible and invaluable, for which I am immensely grateful and could not have done without. I am also indebted to Timothy Stanton for his advice and insightful discussions at the earliest stages of this project. I would also like to thank Catherine Wilson for giving me the opportunity to embark on this journey to pursue a doctorate of Philosophy here at the University of York. I would express special thanks to Victor Nuovo for sharing some of his unpublished work and thoughts on Locke, and for his illuminating and helpful correspondence; and to Sarah Hutton for her discussions that has given me both inspiration and confidence to work on the Cambridge Platonists. I am also especially grateful to John Blechl, Rob Davis, Emma Martin and Peter O’Reilly for their help with the proof reading and to Johan Gustafsson and Rodolfo Garau for their help with valuable and insightful comments. I would also like to thank, Julie Kay, Lisa Webster, Janet Eldred, Carol Dixon and Colin Harris for all their administrative support, patience and enthusiasm over the years. I am also grateful to the Royal Institute of Philosophy for funding my project in 2014- 2015. I also want to say a big thank you to my friends and colleagues at the Department of Politics at York: Nihan Toprakkiran, William Vittery, Adam Fusco, John Mellors, Robin Jervis, Benjamin Chwistek, Rusen Yasar, Fay Farstad, James Hickson, Michael Bennet and David Landon Cole - for their moral support, intellectual stimulus and ‘pure banter’ over the years. I also wish to thank Tom Bywater, Jack Warman, and Gerardo de Jesús Cabrera Morán, and many more, for their friendship and support over the years. Finally, I wish to express my gratitude to Sally Guthrie for her friendship, love and support over the years here at York. I also want to thank Roland Hall and the Homer crew: John, Jeremy, Anthony and Philip, for being an intellectually inspiring part of the journey. And, last but not least, I wish to thank my parents, without their love and financial support none of this would have been possible. York, January 2018 8 Declaration I declare that this thesis is a presentation of original work. All sources are acknowledged in the bibliography and that due credit has been given where reference has been made to the work of others. 9 Reason is natural Revelation, whereby the eternal Father of Light, the Fountain of all Knowledge communicated to Mankind that portion of Truth, which he has laid within the reach of their natural Faculties - Locke, Essay IV.