Locke distinguishes between ideas of primary qualities and ideas of secondary qualities (pages 178-181): secondary qualities (smell, taste, color, sound, texture) are associated with different sense organs and are produced in us but have no objective reality in external things; primary qualities (size, shape, weight, density) are objective properties of material bodies that produce sensations through causal influence.

definitionpending

Speaker

Unidentified Speaker — A History of Philosophy | 41 John Locke [CM2VHOgb_HA]

Evidence Quote

“the secondary qualities simply the qualities associated with our different sense organs smell taste color sound texture as such they are the qualities they are because of the way our sense organs operate they are produced in us but have no objective reality”

Source

A History of Philosophy | 41 John Locke— wheatoncollege
Created: 8/10/2026, 11:07:39 PM

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