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John Locke

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English philosopher (1632 to 1704), founder of British Empiricism through An Essay Concerning Human Understanding (1689) and of modern liberal political philosophy through Two Treatises of Government (1689). Argued that legitimate government rests on the consent of the governed and exists to protect natural rights to life, liberty and property; his Second Treatise directly shaped the American Declaration of Independence.

Facts
Birth Date
1632-08-29 1
Notable Publication
Two Treatises of Government (1689) 1
Office Held
Commissioner for Trade and Plantations (the Board of Trade), appointed by William III 1
Served from 15 May 1696 to 28 June 1700 and was the Board's most influential member during that period.
Death Date
1704-10-28 1
Tradition
British Empiricism; liberal social contract theory 1
Cross-Tradition Connections

Associated With

In Branch

Influenced

Locke's empiricism, grounding all ideas in experience, is the direct predecessor Hume's own empiricism builds on and radicalizes.

Influenced By

Grotius's natural-rights account of life, liberty and property held independent of any earthly sovereign is a direct forerunner of Locke's own natural-rights argument in Two Treatises of Government.

Traditions Founded

Works Attributed

In the Other Atlases
Sources
1. Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy
Stanford University, Center for the Study of Language and Informationentry: John Locke
Quote, entry: John Locke
Locke’s monumental An Essay Concerning Human Understanding (1689) is one of the first great defenses of modern empiricism and concerns itself with determining the limits of human understanding in respect to a wide spectrum of topics.
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1. Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy
Stanford University, Center for the Study of Language and Informationentry: Locke's Political Philosophy
Quote, entry: Locke's Political Philosophy
In the Two Treatises of Government, he defended the claim that men are by nature free and equal against claims that God had made all people naturally subject to a monarch.
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1. Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy
Stanford University, Center for the Study of Language and Informationentry: John Locke, Life and works
Quote, entry: John Locke, Life and works
Locke was born in Wrington to Puritan parents of modest means.
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1. Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy
Stanford University, Center for the Study of Language and InformationIn Category: PhilosophersView the Source
1. Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy
Stanford University, Center for the Study of Language and InformationIn Branch: EpistemologyView the Source
1. Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy
Stanford University, Center for the Study of Language and InformationIn Branch: Political PhilosophyView the Source
1. Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy
Stanford University, Center for the Study of Language and InformationTraditions Founded: Empiricism, s.v. Rationalism vs. EmpiricismView the Source
1. Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy
Stanford University, Center for the Study of Language and InformationWorks Attributed: Two Treatises of GovernmentView the Source
1. Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy
Stanford University, Center for the Study of Language and InformationAssociated With: Epistemology, entry: EpistemologyView the Source
1. Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy
Stanford University, Center for the Study of Language and InformationAssociated With: Empiricism, s.v. John LockeView the Source
1. Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy
Stanford University, Center for the Study of Language and InformationAssociated With: Philosophy of Education, entry: Philosophy of Education
Quote, Associated With: Philosophy of Education, entry: Philosophy of Education
Philosophers have sometimes formulated, examined, or critiqued guiding principles for the design of curricula (Plato Laws, Republic; Locke 1706; Rousseau 1762; Dewey 1902; Scheffler 1958; Lewin 2018).
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Natural Law Theories (Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy)
Influenced By: Hugo Grotius, entry: Natural Law Theories
Tabula Rasa (Wikipedia)
WikipediaAssociated With: Tabula Rasa, Locke (17th century) section
Quote, Associated With: Tabula Rasa, Locke (17th century) section
The modern idea of the theory is attributed mostly to John Locke's expression of the idea in Essay Concerning Human Understanding, particularly using the term "white paper" in Book II, Chap. I, 2.
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