What would be an example of a complex idea according to Locke?

John Locke distinguished between simple and complex ideas in his philosophy regarding human understanding. A complex idea is formed through the combination of multiple simple ideas.

In this context, an orange with multiple characteristics serves as a prime example of a complex idea. It encompasses various simple ideas such as color, shape, taste, and smell, which combine to create the overall concept of an orange. Each of these attributes is a simple idea, and together they contribute to the more comprehensive, complex idea of what an orange is.

Other options, like the taste of salt or the color blue, exemplify simple ideas, as they represent singular, straightforward concepts without the intricacy of multiple combined attributes. Freedom, while a complex notion philosophically, isn’t a concrete physical entity that can be described by a combination of sensory attributes in the same way that an orange can, making it less fitting as an example in this specific context.