| Summary: | Discussions of Locke’s theory of abstraction generally confine themselves to the Essay. The only previous paper analysing the developmentofLocke’stheory,bythepresentwriter, dealt solely with drafts of the Essay—Locke’s journals and the three drafts of the Essay, now known as Drafts A, B and C—the first two dating from 1671, and latter most likely from the first few months of 1686. This is a far from exhaustive survey of the subject in Locke’s writings. There are numerous comments on universals and abstraction in Locke’s philosophical works outside the Essay proper, including several extended discussions of the matter. Most of these were written after the publication of the Essay, providing a clear indication of Locke’s mature views on abstraction. This paper will survey these materials to determine their import for interpretations of Locke’s theory—most notably, whether they support a ‘partial consideration’ account as recently defended by Michael Ayers. Drawing on remarks made at different points in Locke’s career, and addressing different subjects, the discussion is necessarily somewhat episodic, but it does, I believe, provide substantial further support for an interpretation of Locke’s mature theory of abstraction as one of mental separation. In addition, thishistorical evidence can provide further perspective on the writing of the Essay, highlighting how Locke’s method of composition might well be the source of much of the difficulties that commentators find in the work.
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