John Locke Biography

John Locke (born August 29, 1632 — died October 28, 1704) was a renowned English Philosopher and Political theorist of the 17th Century. He was often regarded as the originator of British Empiricism (school of thought), and he made important contributions to modernise the theory of limited, liberal government. He was also prominent in the area of theology, educational theology, and religious tolerations. 

In his most influential and renowned work, the Essay Concerning Human Understanding, he embarked to offer an analysis of the human mind and its addition of knowledge. He introduced empiricist theory, according to which we come up with the ideas through our real-life experience of the world. The mind then is in the position to examine, compare, and combine these ideas in various ways. 

In politics, Locke is regarded as a supporter of constitutional government. He adopted his theory of natural rights to proclaim that governments have responsibilities to their citizens, have only limited powers over their citizens, and can eventually be displaced by citizens under certain circumstances. Read on to learn more about John Locke French Philosopher  Biography.

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Who is John Locke?

John Locke, nicknamed “ Father of Liberalism”, was an English philosopher who is considered to be one of the first philosophers of Enlightenment and the father of classical liberalism. Being determined as one of the first British Empiricists, he is comparably important to social contract theory. Trained in medicine, he was a key advisor of the empirical approaches of the Scientific Revolution. In his “Essay Concerning Human Understanding,” he promoted a theory of the self as a blank page, with knowledge and identity arising only from vast experience.

John Locke Life and Work

The 17th-century English political philosopher John Locke was born on August 29, 1632, in Wrington, a small town located in southwestern England. Locke spent his early childhood days in the West Country and was sent to Westminster School in London in his early teens to study.

Locke was an outstanding student at Westminster and earned a place at Christ Church, Oxford. He joined the Christ Church in 1652 and remained there until 1667. Although he appreciated the traditional scholastic philosophy he learned there, Locke was outstanding as a student. After completing his undergraduate degree, he managed a series of administrative and academic posts in the college.

Some of Locke’s duties included educating undergraduates. One of his famous creations, the Essays on the Law of Nature, was introduced during the period of his teaching duties. Much of Locke’s intense effort and energy during his time at Oxford, especially during his later years there, was dedicated to the study of medicine and natural philosophy (which is now known as science). Locke had an immense interest in these fields; he explored different experiments and became familiarised with Robert Boyle and many other renowned natural philosophers. He also engaged with the normal course of education and training to become a physician

In his later year, Locke contributed much of his focus to theology. The major lock contribution in this field was The Reasonableness of Christianity, published in 1695. This work was disputable because Locke proclaimed that many ideologies traditionally believed to be mandatory for Christians were unnecessary.

Locke Theories of Ideas

The first chapter of Locke's Essay details the justification for the repeated use of the word “idea” in the book. According to Locke, ideas are the inherited units of mental content and so play a crucial role in his explanation of the human mind. Ideas are the sole realities upon which your mind works.

On one side, his reading states, ideas are regarded as mental objects. The thought turns up when an agent examines an external world object like an apple. An agent exclaimed that there is something befalling in her thought which represents the fruit apple. 

So when an apple is observed by an agent, what she is actually doing is thinking about the idea of that apple. On a different reading, ideas are regarded as thought processes. The speculation here is that when an apple is observed by an agent, she is actually considering the apple in a direct way. An idea is a conception of making endless contact with the external world object. In recent years, most commentators have appreciated the first of these two readings. 

Locke's Philosophy in Politics

Locke spent most of his eventful time in English politics. The Civil War, Glorious Revolution, Interregnum, Restoration, and Exclusion Crisis all occurred during his lifetime. Locke even managed administrative positions in government and devoted particular consideration to recent studies in political theory. So, it is actually surprising that he wrote a number of works on political issues. In this field, Locke is recognized for his arguments in favour of religious toleration and limited government. Today these ideas are mainstream and widely accepted. But during Locke's time, they were highly innovative, even radical.

John Locke Treatises of Government

John Locke is one of the most prominent political philosophers of the modern era. In the Two Treatises of Government, he proclaimed natural equality and freedom for man.  He further stated that all humans have the right to life, liberty, and property.

Locke declares that men are naturally free and equal as part of the argument for understanding the political government as a consequence of social contract where people altogether transfer some of their entitlements to the government to have a safe, secure, and pleasant enjoyment of their lives, liberty, and property.

As governments rule in the country by the acceptance of the people in order to protect their rights and promote public welfare, governments that fail to do so can be immediately restrained and replaced with new governments. 

The lock also safeguarded the principle of doctrine rule and separation of legislative and executive powers.  In the Letter Concerning Toleration published in 1685, Locke argued that persuasion should be used to bring people to the true religion and also argued that churches should have any persistent power over their members. The more detailed description of these themes is dictated in his later political writings, such as the Second Letter on Toleration and Third Letter on Toleration.

John Locke Contributions

Following are ten major John Locke contributions and accomplishments:

• John Locke is regarded as the founder of modern philosophical empiricism.

• John Locke wrote “ Two Treatises of Government”, which was published in 1689.

• John Locke introduced the Labour Theory of Property.

• John Locke’s political views influenced the American Declaration of Independence.

• John Locke is reckoned as the “Father of Liberalism”.

• French Philosopher John Locke is regarded as one of the most influential philosophers in modern times.

• John Locke provided persuasive reasoning for logical influence.

• John Locke's most important work in the education field is Some Thoughts Concerning Education which was published in 1693.

• The most important theological writings of John Locke was Reasonableness of Christianity, published in 1695.

• John Locke introduced the theory known as “Tabula Rasa '' or “Blank State”. With this theory, John Locke states that children come into the world with an empty mind, and their knowledge and learning is enhanced through experience and converted to understanding through reasoning.

To sum up, who was John Locke? John Locke was an English philosopher and political theorist during the Age of Enlightenment.  He is believed to be one of the first British Empiricists. According to his beliefs, knowledge can be achieved in two ways. The first way to gain knowledge is from sensation, such as the taste of chocolate or the sound of a waterfall. The second through which knowledge can be gained is from reflection.