Does a tree make a sound if it falls in the woods and there is no-one there to hear it? 
This mind fuck is one of the most famous philosophical riddles, courtesy of seventeenth century over-achiever Englishman, John Locke. Both the French Revolution and United States Declaration of Independence owe a lot to Locke’s political work, but his philosophy of mind forever changed the way we think of ourselves.
Ideas like ‘identity’ and ‘self’ start with Locke’s work (hard to believe we didn’t use these words before that, huh?), and he famously posited that we are born a blank slate, a tabula rasa, and all knowledge comes from experiencing the world around us.
So many cool-as-shit mental puzzles relate to identity, such as, if we can’t remember being younger, are we really the same person as back then?
Locke’s work on who we are and how we learn about the world blew everyone’s fucking minds.
Locke pointed out that our sensations differ in nature. I’m not talking about the difference between sight, smell, etc, but how much our minds influence them.
For Locke, when we interact with something in the world, there are sensations which our minds help create and then those that come directly from an item itself.
What we see, hear, smell, and even feel filters through the mind and is not truly of the object we experience.
However, size, figure, weight and motion are directly known qualities. So, if a tree falls in the woods without anyone there, for Locke, there is no sound as there is no-one there to hear it (see my post on Berkeley to understand his reply to Locke – that there is no tree!).
There is no better way to learn about someone else than to fuck them.
But don’t be completely distracted by how your partner looks or even feels to touch.
These senses are so strong as to be completely overwhelming, but they don’t get to the heart of who as person is.
Close your eyes and take in their physical presence, their weight against yours and the impact of their movements against your body.
With these sensations you directly connect with the person you are with and open up your true selves.
Who would have thought a philosopher from 400 years ago would hold the secret to passionate, meaningful fucking.
Thanks, Locke, you legend!
![PXL_20240626_032108346.MP~2.jpg]( "PXL_20240626_032108346.MP~2.jpg")
This mind fuck is one of the most famous philosophical riddles, courtesy of seventeenth century over-achiever Englishman, John Locke. Both the French Revolution and United States Declaration of Independence owe a lot to Locke’s political work, but his philosophy of mind forever changed the way we think of ourselves. Ideas like ‘identity’ and ‘self’ start with Locke’s work (hard to believe we didn’t use these words before that, huh?), and he famously posited that we are born a blank slate, a tabula rasa, and all knowledge comes from experiencing the world around us. So many cool-as-shit mental puzzles relate to identity, such as, if we can’t remember being younger, are we really the same person as back then? Locke’s work on who we are and how we learn about the world blew everyone’s fucking minds.Locke pointed out that our sensations differ in nature. I’m not talking about the difference between sight, smell, etc, but how much our minds influence them.
For Locke, when we interact with something in the world, there are sensations which our minds help create and then those that come directly from an item itself. What we see, hear, smell, and even feel filters through the mind and is not truly of the object we experience. However, size, figure, weight and motion are directly known qualities. So, if a tree falls in the woods without anyone there, for Locke, there is no sound as there is no-one there to hear it (see my post on Berkeley to understand his reply to Locke – that there is no tree!).There is no better way to learn about someone else than to fuck them.
But don’t be completely distracted by how your partner looks or even feels to touch. These senses are so strong as to be completely overwhelming, but they don’t get to the heart of who as person is. Close your eyes and take in their physical presence, their weight against yours and the impact of their movements against your body. With these sensations you directly connect with the person you are with and open up your true selves. Who would have thought a philosopher from 400 years ago would hold the secret to passionate, meaningful fucking. Thanks, Locke, you legend!
