"Wholly Useless and Unserviceable to Knowledge"

In this paper I examine Locke’s criticism of the view that some species natural objects are determined by real essences, a call realism. Most commentators have focused either on putative objections to realist’s claim determining essences exist or his semantic case against assumption our terms can refer determine species. identify another objection, which, argue, is independent from both these lines criticism. This objection essentially practical. It based adopting realism has detrimental practical consequences: it undermines, Locke believes, ability sort particular into alone, he argues, already sufficient set aside and ignore when trying