Locke on the Probability of the Mind's Immateriality

Abstract

For many years, there has been a vibrant debate about whether Locke is friendly or hostile to the proposition that the mind is a material thing. On the one hand, there are passages in which Locke tells us that it is probable that the mind is immaterial. On the other hand, there are passages in which Locke expressly allows for the possibility that matter, suitably arranged, could be given the power to think. It is no surprise, then, that some scholars assume that Locke is a dualist, while other scholars think that Locke is a materialist. Yet others think that Locke studiously tries to remain completely agnostic about the nature of mind. Taking the relevant primary sources and secondary literature into account, I argue that Locke takes it to be more probable than not that the mind is immaterial.