The Viability of Primary and Secondary Qualities Essay

The Viability of Primary and Secondary Qualities - Essay Example The essence of the philosophical debate, therefore, centered on Berkeley’s refusal to believe that reality consisted of abstractions that could be separated from a material object. In order to explore this debate in more depth, this essay will examine Berkeley’s critique of Locke regarding the viability of primary and secondary qualities. As a preliminary matter, for Berkeley, the proffered distinction between primary and secondary qualities, an integral theoretical concept underpinning John Locke’s notion of Abstract Ideas, was an issue of fundamental importance. Our knowledge of the world around us, in Berkeley’s view, was dependent on the viability of this distinction. Berkeley’s ultimate rejection of this distinction, and the theory of Abstract Ideas was bold; Locke, after all, was not the first philosopher to believe in the validity of the distinction. Indeed, Berkeley challenged some of the greatest thinkers as the distinction had also been em braced by such luminaries as Descartes, Newton, and Galileo. A brief presentation of Locke’s approach to primary and secondary qualities is necessary because it highlights the bases of Berkeley’s attacks and because Locke’s work served as the authoritative statement of the viability of the distinction between primary and secondary qualities.... He also pointed out the epistemological problems which, he asserted, rendered Locke's distinction nothing more than speculation. Locke, in Berkeley's view, was hardly an empiricist. Berkeley could simply not accept Locke's assertion that an underlying quality could be separated from the mind. Locke stated, by contrast, that a quality was a power that was capable of producing an idea in our mind. This definition was significant because it separated the quality from our mind; more particularly, Locke established a causal relationship in which a quality inherent in an object caused us to have an idea about that object. Berkeley, because he rejected the separation, also rejected the notion of causation. Berkeley's strongest criticisms, however, derived from Locke's attempt to divide a quality into two specific types. This criticism dealt with Locke's attempts to draw a distinction between what he termed primary qualities and secondary qualities. Locke characterised primary qualities as being inseparable from the object being observed. Everything had fundamental properties. These fundamental properties were constant. Locke viewed solids, extensions, figures, motion or rest, and number as primary qualities; Berkeley, for the reasons mentioned below, argued and demonstrated that these primary qualities did not exist. The denial of these primary qualities served as the basis for his rejection of the notion of abstraction of ideas. Berkeley stated that these qualities were illusory and therefore could not produce in us ideas about the object being observed. Ideas were ideas and nothing more. Nor did Berkeley accept the premise that a

International Business Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

International Business - Assignment Example In order to analyse the appraisal, the report focuses upon four important factors like that of motivation of IKEA for going international, the selection of the market, the entry strategy of the company in the selected market and the corporate strategy. The report also has a dedicated section reinstating the major points in the summary and conclusions. Established in the year of 1943 by a teen ager named Ingvar Kamprad (who was only seventeen years old), IKEA came a long way to be an industry leader in the arena of home products that include furniture, accessories, kitchen and bathroom all across the globe. The acronym IKEA stands for ‘Ingvar Kamprad Elmtaryd Agunnaryd’ and is managed by a Dutch registered foundation. This retail giant has total employee strength of more than 127,000 and the core competency of the company is that of manufacturing and selling assembled furniture. The company basically works with the concept of franchisee. This leading furniture brand targets to encompass major part of the society as it believes in providing world class products to the mass. For the purpose, it inculcates the strategy of competitive pricing. The company also has strong initiatives in the aspects of social responsibilities and environmental programs along with charitable involvements. It can be said without doubt that th ese factors have been instrumental for the success of the organizational in the international market. Bank of America along with the US investment bank, Merrill Lynch is one of the world’s largest brokerage firms. It has a client asset of $ 2.2 trillion. More than 15000 financial advisors are associated with the company to serve its clients from 150 countries. In United States, its portfolio covers 99% of US fortune 500 companies and 83% of Fortune Global 500 companies. It is a global leader on services in investment banking solutions which includes global high-yield debt, global M&A, commercial lending and global equity. The investment