Sydenham and Locke on the historical method

Abstract

Locke owed much to his precedent and contemporary natural philosophers for the formation of his philosophical thought. His debt to Descartes, Boyle and Sydenham has been widely recognized. This paper argues that the chief influence on Locke's empiricism is from his medical mentor, Sydenham, and examines the origin of Locke's “Historical, plain Method”. Locke's early medical manuscripts and Drafts for the Essay, written while Locke was working with Sydenham, reveal that he was under strong influence of Sydenham's strict empiricism. However, Locke took a more moderate position in Essay and was aware of the uses of probable hypotheses in natural philosophy.