Question

Describe, in your own words, how sensation would allow an individual to acquire knowledge. Your answer should be at least one hundred words. Be sure to use at least two hyphens properly in this paragraph. Remember, you can use a hyphen to: Use two words as a single unit to describe a noun. Divide a word at the end of a line of writing or typing. Separate a prefix that ends with a vowel from a root word that begins with a vowel.

Answer 1

One way an individual learns through sensation is when they watch someone else do something. The best way to learn is to see it being done. For example, when someone sees a broken-down car, he or she does not know how to fix it. The best way for them to learn is to see it being fixed, and then they can learn from that experience. This same thing goes for a child. Their vocabulary is not pre-existing. Rather it is learned, or sensed from the world around them. They listen to their parents and other people around them and pick up words here and there, until their vocabulary has become big enough to speak.

Answer 2

A child learns of the color yellow by first seeing it several times and understanding how it is different from other colors she sees. Then, she hears her parents use the word "yellow" in association with that colored-object, and thus, she learns how to name the concept. From this example, we can see how sensation can be used to acquire knowledge and learning. Also, Locke argued that the pre-existing child will born without any innate ideas at all, which require him to use his sensation to learn different ideas and concepts.