How Did John Locke Contribute To The Enlightenment

From Aristotle to John Locke to Thomas Jefferson, the ideas of great philosophers influenced the foundations of the United States. When Jefferson began writing the Declaration of Independence, he wanted to make this new country based on the basic fundamentals. He wanted to base the country on what was considered the natural laws. Jefferson had many philosophical minds to ponder when writing the document, such as Aristotle and most importantly John Locke.

John Locke was perhaps one of the most influential political philosophers of the modern period. In the Second Treatise of Government, John Locke discusses the move from a state of nature and perfect freedom to a then governed society in which authority is given to a legislative and executive power. His major ideas included liberalism and capitalism, state of nature, state of war and the desire to protect one’s property.

On August 29 1632 John Locke was born in a town named Wrington and lived in a small Somerset village. His mother died when John was at a very young age. His father was a country lawyer and died a couple years after his mother. He went to Westminster in1646 and then Oxford in 1652. In 1666 John started practicing medicine on Lord Ashley. Ashley and Locke became known to become good friends. In 1668 Locke was elected to be in the Royal Society. The Royal Society was for improving natural knowledge. John did a lot of amazing things in his life time and he accomplished a lot and the one thing that influenced John the most was most likely to be that his parents died at a very young age and that usually has a great effect on children that can later lead into adult hood.

John Locke was an English writer, and his writings were based on the events that took place during the Glorious Revolution in England in 1689, when the people of England overthrew King James II. John Locke was interestingly enough, brought up in a loyalist and Evangelical family. He was born to a very wealthy family, and received much prestige in Oxford for his connections to the higher ups. Locke presented his ideas of rebellion during the English civil war which took place in the mid-1600s, in favor of the revolts against the King’s rule in England at the time. John Locke graduated with a degree in medicine from Oxford University.

Background Info: Locke was born in 1632 to a wealthy Puritan family and was highly involved in politics during the Glorious Restoration. His witnessing of the effective overthrowing of the government in order to place better suited rulers in power greatly influenced his perspective on government (RJ Lecture).

John Locke was one of the most revolutionary political thinkers of the seventeenth century, and possibly of all time. His ideas regarding natural rights had major effects on almost every western society, most notably the United States. Locke’s ideas were crucial in the crafting of the United States Constitution and more importantly, the creation of American culture, both social, governmental, and economic. Locke was the inspiration for the three branch government system in America along with the representative democracy and the government acting as a third party to protect the rights of the people and to settle disputes. Economically, America is a highly commercial society with little government interference with business and personal income other than taxes levied by the government. American society almost mirrors Locke’s idea of a commercial society with individuals spending their time working to make money in a capitalist society and then spending said money and doing whatever they please when they are not working. Locke’s influence on the United States is so substantial that he could arguably be named as one of the founding fathers. Though Locke’s philosophy has been important to American society for years, and his ideas are still used in contemporary politics, it is necessary to examine modern America and decide if Lockean philosophy is appropriate for the America of today.

John Locke had more influence on the framers of the American Constitution than any other person in the world, even though he died 72 years before Thomas Jefferson even wrote the Declaration of Independence. So how was it possible that John Locke could have had such an overwhelming impact on the founders of the constitution when he wasn’t even alive? In this essay I will explain how he was able to do just that. John Locke was born in 1632 and was one of the best philosophers in England. Locke had a liberal way of thinking in that he was against having a king who ruled over everyone and everything, and not in the same sense that we think of liberalism today.

The Baroque Era and the Enlightenment Era, like the Renaissance, was a time of innovative thinking. This time period created one of the most revolutionary revolts in human history. But this thinking stemmed from several authors during its time. One of which is John Locke. According to the textbook, “John Locke believed people are perfectly capable of governing themselves.

Born to a Puritan clothier on August 29, 1632, Locke entered Oxford at the close of the English Civil War. He considered both law and religion, but eventually settled on medicine as his métier, though he never earned his doctorate. While serving as personal physician to

It was the year of 1632 when one of the most famous philosophers and political theorists of the 17th century was born in Wrington, United Kingdom. His name was John Locke. He was born on August 29, 1632 to John and Agnes Keene Locke. Locke’s father was a Puritan Attorney and a clerk to the English Civil War, who also owned a good deal of land, which allows Locke have access to a successful education he obtained. His mother, Agnes Keene, was a tanner’s daughter and was told to be very beautiful. Both parents were Puritans, and moved after the birth of their son, John Locke. Locke spent his early childhood in the West Country and received a private education since his father has connections and allegiance to the English Government. Locke had live through many major events that had happened during throughout his lifetime.

Clocks influenced the world in some ways. For instance, they became the basis for the political systems and government structure, and this made it possible for things to be done promptly. Also, the introduction of time drove the economic development of the west, which led to the industrial revolution and finally into the advanced capitalist form.

Providing the 17th century world with an alternative, innovative view on philosophy, politics, economics, and education among other interrelated and important aspects of life, John Locke proved to be a person of immense impact. Born in 1632, in Wrington, England, Locke was the author of many known writings which include the Essay Concerning Human Understanding (1689), The Two Treaties of Government (1698), A Letter Concerning Toleration (1689), and Some Thoughts Concerning Education (1693) (Goldie 32). Locke’s writings represent a series of topics involving the purpose of philosophy, emergence of empiricism, and the role as well as limits of governments and churches in terms of liberty and natural rights. In a time where exposure of such

John Locke is a major part in our world. John Locke changed the way that the world thinks. He was born on August 29, 1632 in Wrington, United Kingdom, and died on October 28, 1704 in High Laver, United Kingdom. John Locke was a Philosopher, political philosopher, and a physician. John is famous for his work as a Philosophers and his theories.

Early in his life, John Locke was influenced by Lord Ashley, who became the Earl of Shaftsbury. Ashley’s influence on Locke's political philosophy and profession were immense. The Lord’s view of government and how it should rule never left Locke as evident by his writing. John Locke studied medicine at Oxford, where he became a prominent philosopher in 17th Century England. His works included such topics as political philosophy, epistemology, and education. Locke began teaching sweeping ideas concerning the “natural rights of man and the social contract” (Mack, 2009). Both concepts impacted the intellectual foundations that began later in the American and French revolutions. The government began targeting Locke as rumors of revolution fell on England. Later, Locke was forced to leave England after being implicated in an attempt to kill King Charles II in 1683, in what later became known as the Rye House Plot (Mack, 2009). During this time Locke wrote "An Essay Concerning Human Understanding," where he discussed the nature of human knowledge. His essay was published after Locke's return to England in 1688 just as his work “Two Treatises” had been. His arrival back in England had come after King James II hastily departed. This allowed other powers to rise in his wake. Locke became the hero of this revolution as it forever changed English government, moving the balance of power from the throne to Parliament (Mack, 2009).

After the Renaissance period, there was new ideology and new movement surrounding politics, philosophy, science and reason. This movement became known as the Enlightenment. The Enlightenment took place in parts of Europe and encompassed the ideas of individualism, relativism, and rationalism. The thinkers of this era questioned authority and embraced cultural change. There were many influential philosophers who promoted their ideas through their writings. Thinkers such as John Locke, Immanuel Kant, and David Hume had a great influence during the Enlightenment and helped paved the way for how we perceive the world today. (the culture trip)