John Locke, a British Philosopher, Studied the Knowledge of the Human Mind

English philosopher and political theorist, John Locke experienced the English Civil Wars first-hand which would later prompt him to question the purpose and structure of government. The wars were the result of conflict between a king who claimed absolute authority by divine right and a Parliament that believed itself to have authority independent of the crown. The English Civil Wars provided the context in which Locke would develop the arguments for his most famous work, the Second Treatise of Government. In the work, Locke begins by claiming that without the existence of government humans exist in a state of nature. Since there is no governing body in the state of nature individuals are free to

John Locke liked freedom, he thought that freedom was good for the government. “...(W)e must consider, what state all men are naturally in, and that is, a state of perfect freedom to order their actions, and dispose [manage] of their possessions and persons, as they think fit, within the bounds of the law of nature….” (Doc A) This states that Locke wants freedom but their comes consequences. To have this freedom men needed to create a government with a legislature and an executive. Locke’s main idea was people had rights.

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.

John Locke had many accomplishments. John Locke has public may significance writing; Essay Concerning Human Understanding in 1689, Two Treaties of Government in 1690, and Letters Concerning Toleration in 1689-1692. John Locke’s “Essay Concerning Human Understanding” defined the theory of human knowledge, identity and selfhood. In his “Two Treatises of Government” believing that the legitimacy of government relies on consent from its citizens which is given on the basis of equality. A government has the duty to protect the natural rights of its people, if they fail to protect these rights, the citizen have the right to overthrow the government. This writing shows John Locke beliefs in “life, liberty, and property.” In his “Letters Concerning Toleration,”

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.

John Locke was born in 1632, in Wrington, England. He studied medicine at the University of Oxford, but he eventually became the great philosopher everyone remembers him as (Connolly, n.d.). In 1688, King William III, supported by the Whigs, took the throne of England from King James II in what is known as the Glorious Revolution (UK Parliament, n.d.). Locke had a strong connection with the Whigs in England, so he wrote the Second Treatise on Government as a justification for the revolution. Throughout the Second Treatise on Government, Locke claims that an individual is born with the rights to “life, liberty, and property.” He believes that it is the governments purpose to preserve these rights with laws which favor neither the rich nor poor. In addition, these laws must be designed for “the good of the people.” Lastly, “[the government] must not raise taxes on the property of the people, without the consent of the people…” (Locke, 1688)

In October 2011 Gaddafi, the former leader of Libya, was murdered as a result of the Libyan Civil war. The Libyan revolution, also known as the Libyan Civil war, started in February and ended in October 2011 succeeding Gaddafi’s death. John Locke, an Enlightenment philosopher, discussed that if the government fails to protect the basic human rights of life, liberty, and property, the people must overthrow the government as he stated in his social contract. John Locke’s ideas of natural rights, duties of the government, and the social contract influenced the Libyan revolution in 2011. John Locke was a philosopher from England, he is best remembered for his political ideas, the most famous of which were the social contract, the ideal government,

His writings had a great impact in the perception of the leaders of America. John Locke was an English philosopher who highly influenced the Founding Fathers. He highly believed in natural science and in the growing middle class and represented the principles of the Enlightenment. In an essay Locke wrote concerning human understanding in 1690, Locke denied the idea of native beliefs and argued that every individual is born with a blank mind and that it is the environment that shapes the individual. Thomas Hobbes 's belief that kings govern by divine power was rejected by Locke. He believed that every human being was born equal and that the surroundings in the environment was what molded everyone. Locke argued that people are blessed with some natural rights such as liberty, life, and property. Locke was the philosopher that exposed the concept of governmental checks and balances which later became the foundation for the U. S. Constitution.

Over the course of American history, many famous men and women have acknowledged and praised philosopher John Locke for his substantial influence on American thinking. The praise for Mr. Locke is widespread, coming from historians and presidents alike. In fact, James Otis stated that, “…the authority of Mr. Locke has…been preferred to all others” (20). The founding fathers of America drew heavily from Locke’s writings; in fact, he was the second most quoted source – behind only the Bible. Who, though, was this man influencing the thoughts of our founders? Where did his thoughts take their roots? Most importantly, what view of the world did Mr. Locke’s philosophy present?

Locke’s theories of natural rights and civil liberties penetrate deeply into the marrow of our modern civilisations, and, as historian Louis Hartz points out, they have become a sort of ‘social norm’ in the way we think of politics. The Second Treatise can be interpreted as embodying the key influential theory that pioneered the crusade against absolutism in places such as France and America. Locke’s belief that absolute monarchy was inconsistent with civil society stemmed from his notions of individual natural rights and how they were fundamentally tied to the aims of governed communities. Locke believed that one entered a civil society in order to escape what he saw as an ‘unrestrained’ original condition of humanity, or the ‘state of nature’,

John Locke was one of the most influential writers during the Enlightenment period, and was the first “Enlightenment Thinker”. Locke is the author of the “Two Treatises” and believed that every person was born with “natural rights” such as: life, liberty, and property (Locke). These rights were meant for everyone, and not just the nobility or wealthy. Locke uses references from the Bible throughout the “Two Treatises” stating that “God created man without any state of inferiority” (Locke). This disproves the idea of “Divine Right” given from God that many countries in Europe had been participating in. John Locke also discussed the importance of “The Beginning of

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

“The only fence against the world is a thorough knowledge of it.” - John Locke.1 In the early decades of seventeenth century England, an era of rebellion, civil war and tyranny, there was an outpour of writers who challenged views on government, religion and science.2 Among these influential writers, political philosopher John Locke came forth, expressing his theories and ideologies surrounding natural law and human freedom. With a background in medicine, he developed an interest in empiricism, and by method of observation he asserted his theories on human understanding and ability to reason.3 He is considered as a founder of a school of thought named British Empiricism, due to his diverse empirical theories on how the world is perceived. His views were written in his most famous work, An Essay Concerning Human

John Locke was born in 1632. He grew to become one of the most influential philosophers and was seen as the father of the Enlightenment. Locked studied at the Christ Church of Oxford in 1658 (AR). At Oxford he studied medicine which impacted his beliefs a great deal. His most famous works include First Treatise of Government, Second Treatise of Government, and Letter Concerning Toleration (AR). In his treatises he proclaimed that absolute monarchy was not the proper way to govern. These beliefs about a monarchy started in him at a very young age. His Letter Concerning Toleration claims that governments do not have the right to interfere with citizen’s creeds unless they are a threat to the greater good. Locke’s ideas became

The age of reason was a very important time for humanity. New thoughts and ideas were everywhere and the best minds were at work. These minds showed how patience and confidence expressed the Enlightenment. John Locke wrote about what he believed every human being deserves to have. He developed natural rights which were life, liberty, and property. Locke showed much enthusiasm for what he believed could be achieved. He showed he was very hopeful about the direction of humanity and was very willing to pursue this idea. Locke would not have surrendered so easily when faced with challenges such as people who do not want change. He symbolizes the Enlightenment and all the intelligent