Doubt and certainty in Locke and Descartes

Abstract

This paper aims to explore how the English philosopher John Locke (1632-1704) addresses skeptical questions in his Essay Concerning Human Understanding. The goal is to demonstrate that these questions are closely connected to those found in Cartesian philosophy. To achieve this, we will analyze passages from Book IV of the Essay that discuss the conception of certainty, the limits of human understanding, and potential reasons for doubt. These passages will be compared with excerpts from the Cartesian corpus, particularly those found in the Objections and Replies appended to the Meditations. We conclude that John Locke is directly engaging with questions raised by Cartesian philosophy. Furthermore, we propose that, despite following different paths, both Descartes and Locke present analogous responses to skepticism. In this sense, we wish to suggest a moderate reading of the dogmatisms of Descartes and Locke, which are often understood in a reductionist way.