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Locke and Newton agreed that space and time exist independently of their sensible measures, which are mere approximations. However, although Locke read and praised Newton’s Principia, the penultimate “Draft C” of Locke’s Essay reveals that his final account of space and time was partly independent of Newton’s influence. Indeed, their respective commitments to absolute space and time are grounded on significantly different versions of empiricism. Traditional metaphysical arguments convinced Locke that time follows a “constant, equal, uniform course” independent of motion, while skeptical arguments about the uniformity of nature convinced him that no empirical measure of absolute time can be known to be accurate. We consider why Locke remained skeptical despite Newton’s powerful demonstrations of pendulum isochrony in the Principia, Whereas Locke’s more sensationalist brand of empiricism encourages skepticism about the laws of nature, Newton allows physical theory to confirm empirical judgments about the equality of spatial and temporal intervals.
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