John Lockeâs An Essay Concerning Human Understanding begins with a clear statement of an epistemological goal: to explain the limits of human knowledge opinion and ignorance. The actual text of the Essay in stark contrast takes a long and seemingly meandering path before returning to that goal at the Essayâs endâone with many detours through questions in philosophy of mind metaphysics and philosophy of language. Over time Locke scholarship has come to focus on Lockeâs contributions to these parts of philosophy. In Lockeâs Science of Knowledge Priselac refocuses on the Essayâs epistemological thread arguing that the Essay is unified from beginning to end around its compositional theory of ideas and the active role Locke gives the mind in constructing its thoughts. To support the plausibility and demonstrate the value of this interpretation Priselac argues thatâcontrary to its reputation as being at best sloppy and at worst outright inconsistentâLockeâs discussion of skepticism and account of knowledge of the external world fits neatly within the Essayâs epistemology. . Language: English