Single Idea 13436

[catalogued under 7. Existence / E. Categories / 5. Category Anti-Realism]

Full Idea

In the visible corporeal world we see no chasms or gaps. All quite down from us the descent is by easy steps and a continued series of things, that in each remove differ very little from the other. There are fish that have wings, and birds inhabit water.

Gist of Idea

There are no gaps in the continuum of nature, and everything has something closely resembling it

Source

John Locke (Essay Conc Human Understanding (2nd Ed) [1694], 3.06.12)

Book Reference

Locke,John: 'Essay Concerning Human Understanding', ed/tr. Nidditch,P.H. [OUP 1979], p.446


A Reaction

This is a direct contradiction of Plato's claim that nature has joints (Idea 7953). Locke's claim doesn't sound very plausible for many cases, and the examples he gives are far from conclusive.

Related Idea

Idea 7953 Reasoning needs to cut nature accurately at the joints [Plato]