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John Locke

John Locke (pronounced /ˈlɒk/; 29 August 1632 – 28 October 1704), known as the Father of Liberalism,[2][3][4] was an English philosopher and physician. His writings on the theory of social contract influenced Voltaire and Rousseau, many Scottish Enlightenment thinkers, and the American revolutionaries. His ideas are mentioned in the American Declaration of Independence.[5]

John Locke
John Locke by Herman Verelst.png
Born29 August 1632
Wrington, Somerset, England
Died28 October 1704 (1704-10-29) (aged 72)
Essex, England
Era17th-century philosophy
(Modern Philosophy)
RegionWestern Philosophers
SchoolBritish Empiricism, Social Contract, Natural Law
Main interests
Metaphysics, Epistemology, Political Philosophy, Philosophy of Mind, Education
Notable ideas
Tabula rasa, "government with the consent (permission) of the governed"; state of nature; rights of life, liberty and property
Influences
Influenced
Signature
John Locke Signature.svg

Locke's theories were usually about identity and the self. Locke thought that we are born without thoughts, and that knowledge is instead determined only by experience.[6]

Biography

Locke's father, who was also named John Locke, was a country lawyer.[7] He had served as a captain in the early part of the English Civil War. His mother, Agnes Keene, was a tanner's daughter and was thought to be very beautiful. Both mother and father were Puritans. Locke was born on 29 August 1632, in a cottage by the church in Wrington, Somerset, about twelve miles from Bristol. He was baptized when he was born. After that, his family soon moved to Pensford.

Education

In 1647, Locke was sent to Westminster School in London. During this time he was being sponsored by Alexander Popham, a member of the Parliament. After finishing his studies there, he went into the Christ Church. Although Locke was a good student, he did not like the schedule of the time spent there. He did not like the classical subjects taught at the university, and wanted to learn more about modern philosophy. Through his friend Richard Lower, whom he had met at the school, Locke learned about medicine, because his friend Richard Lower taught it to him.

Locke was awarded a bachelor's degree in 1656 and a master's degree in 1658. In 1666, he met Lord Anthony Ashley Cooper, who had come to Oxford seeking treatment for his liver disease. Cooper was impressed with Locke and asked him to come.

Works

Move to the Netherlands

However, Locke ran away to the Netherlands in 1683. This is because people became suspicious of him being involved in the Rye House Plot to assassinate King Charles II of England. In the Netherlands, Locke had time to return to his writing, spending a great deal of time re-working the essay. Locke did not return home until after the Glorious Revolution. Locke came with William of Orange's wife back to England in 1688.

Return to England

Locke's close friend Lady Masham invited him to join her at the Mashams' country house in Essex. Although his time there was marked by variable health from asthma attacks, he nevertheless became an intellectual hero of the Whigs. During this period he discussed matters with such figures as John Dryden and Isaac Newton.

Death

He died on 28 October 1704, and is buried in the churchyard of the village of High Laver,[8] east of Harlow in Essex, where he had lived in the household of Sir Francis Masham since 1691. Locke never married nor had children.

Events during lifetime

Events that happened during Locke's lifetime include the English Restoration, the Great Plague of London and the Great Fire of London. He did not quite see the Acts of Union 1707 though the thrones of England and Scotland were held in personal union throughout his lifetime. Constitutional monarchy and parliamentary democracy were in their infancy during Locke's time.

John Locke Media

  • John Locke's portrait by Godfrey Kneller, National Portrait Gallery, London

  • Portrait of Locke in 1697 by Godfrey Kneller

  • John Locke by Richard Westmacott, University College London

  • Locke's signature in Bodleian Locke 13.12. Photo taken at the Bodleian Library, Oxford.

  • One of Locke's famous books on politics, Two Treatises of Government, written and published in his lifetime.

  • Page 1 of Locke's unfinished index in Bodleian Locke 13.12. Photo taken at the Bodleian Library, Oxford.

Related pages

References

  1. ↑ Peter Laslett (1988). "Introduction: Locke and Hobbes". Two Treatises on Government. Cambridge University Press. p. 68. ISBN 9780521357302.
  2. ↑ Locke, John. A Letter Concerning Toleration Routledge, New York, 1991. p. 5 (Introduction)
  3. ↑ Delaney, Tim. The march of unreason: science, democracy, and the new fundamentalism Oxford University Press, New York, 2005. p. 18
  4. ↑ Godwin, Kenneth et al. School choice tradeoffs: liberty, equity, and diversity University of Texas Press, Austin, 2002. p. 12
  5. ↑ Becker, Carl Lotus. The Declaration of Independence: A Study in the History of Political Ideas Harcourt, Brace, 1922. p. 27
  6. ↑ Baird, Forrest E.; Walter Kaufmann (2008). From Plato to Derrida. Upper Saddle River, New Jersey: Pearson Prentice Hall. pp. 527–529. ISBN 978-0-13-158591-1.
  7. ↑ Broad, C.D. (2000). Ethics And the History of Philosophy. UK: Routledge. ISBN 0-415-22530-2.
  8. ↑ Britannica Online, s.v. John Locke

Further reading

Other websites

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