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Secondar Secondary Quality

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Both primary and secondary qualities are similar in the fact that they both represent an object. However, their difference is in our perception. A primary quality is a a property of an object "which resembles our idea of the object." On the flip side, a secondary quality is a property of an object that "does not resemble our idea of the object." Out of the list of primary qualities, I hold to texture and weight as being the best way to explain the nature of a primary quality. The weight of an object does not vary in either nature of the object or in our perception of the object same with texture. A 50 pound. Dumbbell will always way 50lb. It will also always be perceived as weighing 50 pounds. Same is true with texture. A piece of sandpaper is rough and will be perceived as such. …show more content…

One common example is the Doppler Effect. As a siren is coming towards us it makes a different sound than when it is going away from us. Now, the properties of what is making the sound ie the vibrations and the frequency are not changing, however, the sound is changing in our perception. Thus the sound coming from the siren is not accurately representing the properties of the siren through our perception. Locke also states that secondary qualities are reducible to primary qualities in that the ideas we get from secondary qualities come from primary qualities, meaning that we would have no secondary qualities if there were no primary qualities with which to start. I find this examination incredibly fascinating. I agree with Locke that there is a distinct difference between what he calls primary and secondary qualities. I believe that Locke does a wonderful job at outlining our perceptions and the different qualities in an object, how they are different, and why that is so

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