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How did Locke distinguish sensation from reflection?
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Epistemology
The refraction (bending) of light as it passes from air into water causes an optical illusion: straws in the glass of water appear broken or bent at the water's surface.
In his epistemology, John Locke distinguished between two primary sources of human ideas: sensation and reflection.12
- Sensation refers to the mind's reception of sensory impressions from the external world. It involves the data provided by our senses, such as the color of a rose, the taste of salt, or the sound of a bell. These experiences provide the mind with simple ideas derived directly from physical objects.123
- Reflection is the mind's internal observation of its own operations. It is the awareness of one's own mental processes, such as thinking, doubting, believing, reasoning, or experiencing emotions like happiness or sadness.124
While Locke categorized these as distinct sources, he maintained that both provide the "materials" of knowledge. Together, they allow the mind to form complex ideas through the processes of compounding and combining these basic elements. By identifying these origins, Locke sought to replace the doctrine of innate ideas with an empirical account of how the mind acquires knowledge through experience.123