Philosophers
John Locke
Citation Formats
General Reference
APA Style
BibTeX
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
Notable PublicationTwo Treatises of Government (1689) 1 Office HeldCommissioner 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. TraditionBritish 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
- Also in Political Atlas: John Locke, the same subject.
Sources
1. Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy
Stanford University, Center for the Study of Language and Informationentry: John LockeQuote, 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.
View the Source 1. Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy
Stanford University, Center for the Study of Language and Informationentry: Locke's Political PhilosophyQuote, 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.
View the Source 1. Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy
Stanford University, Center for the Study of Language and Informationentry: John Locke, Life and worksQuote, entry: John Locke, Life and works
Locke was born in Wrington to Puritan parents of modest means.
View the Source 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 EducationQuote, 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).
View the Source 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) sectionQuote, 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.
View the Source Reader Challenges (0 open reader challenges)
No disputes yet. Spotted an error or a better source? Open the first one.
Sign in to dispute this or suggest a correction.
View At A Past Year
Choose a year to see this entry's facts and connections as the atlas records them at that moment: what it held then, what it held instead, and what it had not yet adopted. Choose Present for the current record.