Which of these is a real essence for Locke?

A.Vanilla B. the category 'badger'    
C. The structure of corpuscules that allegedly makes up a chair D. Boddington's  
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The real essence of a thing for Locke is its corpuscular constitution: so C is right.

B. is an example of a nominal essence.

A. and D. count as essences of sorts, but not the sorts Locke meant by 'real essence'. Of course 'essence' has great significance in scholastic thought, and Locke uses of the term partly to register his rejection of that old conception.

 

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