The famous English philosopher John Locke is credited with his works influencing early American government. However, John Locke himself drew on his personal life, to make philosophical statements that may still be true today. John Locke was born in North Western Europe at a time where kings were the rule, not the exception. He grew up in a relatively wealthy and comfortable family, and attended Oxford where he studied many fields bordering science and philosophy (he wanted to become a physician). Because of his family’s status he was able to gain a thorough education at one of the most prestigious colleges at Oxford. Although, he might have developed some of his ideas at Oxford, his relation to Lord Ashley was most likely instrumental in his works. John Locke spent some of his early years mingling with Scientist such as those from the Royal Society (having attained his masters of medicine), and had a patronage with Lord Ashley whom he became the personal physician of. Lord Ashley, who letter became the Earl of Shaftsbury influenced Lock’s view of government. Ashley stood in opposition to the dominant Tories, vying for a constitutional monarchy. It is most likely that Lord Ashley’s political situation and ideas rubbed off on John Locke as he prepared for his journey to France in 1675. After a few years in France, …show more content…
John Lock disagreed with Thomas Hobbes, and believed that people was capable of reason. Although he did agree that people might be selfish, but even so in a state of nature people of certain natural rights such as life liberty and property. John Locke believed in tolerance, and the people’s right to rebel against unjust rule, which he may have been influenced by the glorious rebellion. According to some, Locke may have been an early champion of women’s rights, however this is controversial
John Locke was an English philosopher who lived during 1632-1704. In political theory he was equally influential. Contradicting Hobbes, Locke maintained that the original state of nature was happy and characterized by reason and tolerance; all human beings were equal and free to pursue "life, health, liberty, and possessions." The state formed by the social contract was guided by the natural law, which guaranteed those inalienable rights. He set down the policy of checks and balances later followed in the U.S. Constitution; formulated the doctrine that revolution in some circumstances is not only a right but an obligation; and argued for broad religious freedom.
John Locke, one of the leading philosophers of the European Enlightenment was very important when it came to political thought in the United States. His ideas of the reasons, nature, and limits of the government became especially important in the development of the Constitution. In one of his most famous writings of that time, Two Treatises on Government (1689), Locke established a theory where personal liberty could coexist with political power ; meaning that the people would agree to obey the government and in return, the government would have the responsibility of respecting the people’s natural rights. In other words, he laid out a social contract theory that provided the philosophy and source of a governing author...
Napoleon is in a completely different story from both Locke and Rousseau. Napoleon started out truly believing in a Lockean view of a happy society. He even said he wants one 's “..subjects to enjoy a degree of liberty, equality, and prosperity.”(120) Napoleon made promises to the people of France to “rule constitutionally”(121) and that he was going to give them a society with, “public trial, and the introduction of juries..”(120) Napoleon even went as far as instructing his men to, “respect the people whom you liberate, to repress the horrible pillage committed by scoundrels incited by our
John Locke was perhaps the best example of someone who rejected the absolute view of government and had views that were radically different from it. Locke believe that people were born reasonable and moral – it was their natur...
One of the most influential Enlightenment thinkers was John Locke, an English philosopher and physician. His work and ideas had a incomputable impact on modern day society. He was known as “Father of Liberalism” due to his opinions of freedoms and liberty. According to Locke, the people were entitled to have control over themselves as long as it adheres to the law. The Second Treatise on Civil Government by John
John Locke was an English Philosopher that laid much of the groundwork for the Enlightenment and made central contributions to the development of Iberalism. John Locke trained in medicine, and was a clear advocate of empirical approaches of the scientific revolution.
Reliability is a major contribution for an adequate source. As research was being conducted on how John Locke influenced the declaration of independence, two crucial well informed sources were found. “The Political Philosophy of John Locke, and Its Influence on the Founding Fathers and the Political Documents They Created", published by Chuck Braman, contained various information on documentations rewritten from Locke’s perspective. However, it only summarized central arguments presented in “A letter concerning toleration” followed by the arguments presented in the “ Two Treatise on civil government”.
John Locke, one of the most influential philosophers of his time, was born on August 29, 1632 in Wrington, a small village in England. His father, also named John, had been a lawyer as well as a military man who once served as a captain in the parliamentary army during the English civil war. Locke’s parents were both very devout Puritans and so to no surprise, Locke himself was raised with heavily Puritan beliefs. Because Locke’s father had many connections to the English government at the time of his growing up, John was given a rare gift at that time, an outstanding education.
What John Locke was concerned about was the lack of limitations on the sovereign authority. During Locke’s time the world was surrounded by the monarch’s constitutional violations of liberty toward the end of the seventeenth century. He believed that people in their natural state enjoy certain natural, inalienable rights, particularly those to life, liberty and property. Locke described a kind of social contract whereby any number of people, who are able to abide by the majority rule, unanimously unite to affect their common purposes. The...
In his magnitude as the secretary to the Lords Proprietary, he was involved in writing of the fundamental constitution of the Carolinas. There were some problems about Locke’s role in writing the constitution. Locke begins to write papers for Lord Ashley on the economic matters, and including the coinage crisis. While he was living in London at Exeter House, he continued to be involved in the philosophical discussions.This was the most important period in Locke’s life when he began working on the project, it would be the climax in his most famous works,the Essay Concerning Human Understanding. Two of his earliest drafts of the work date from 1671, he continued to work on this project for nearly twenty years. In 1675 Locke travelled to France for seven years, while he was in France he spent as a tutor and a medical attendant for Caleb Banks. Jonh return to England in 1679 when Shaftesbury’s political fortunes took a positive turn. Shaftesbury’s prompting, Lock composed the Two Treatises of Government, Locke wrote the Treatises to defend the Glorious Revolution. Locke went to the Netherlands in 1683 under the strong suspicion in his involvement in the Rye House Plot. While Locke was in the Netherlands her return to his writing, he spent
As he was working to become a doctor, Locke met Lord Ashley who would later adopt the title of Earl of Shaftsbury. Lord Ashley employed him as a personal physician but he would also serve him as a secretary, political researcher, and political advisor.
Have you ever heard of the Enlightenment era in history? It was a significant period in time where people started to have new ideas in technology, science, politics, and philosophy. The Enlightenment also brought about a lot of memorable thinkers who still continue to influence us today. Among those thinkers included the very wise John Locke and Thomas Jefferson. John Locke was an excellent Enlightenment philosopher who actually influenced Thomas Jefferson’s writings for the Declaration of Independence. Their writings helped to create the unity in America, and justify the break from Great Britain. As a result, together these two famous philosophers helped our country become independent with the Declaration
John Locke is considered one of the best political minds of his time. The modern conception of western democracy and government can be attributed to his writing the Second Treatise of Government. John Locke championed many political notions that both liberals and conservatives hold close to their ideologies. He argues that political power should not be concentrated to one specific branch, and that there should be multiple branches in government. In addition to, the need for the government to run by the majority of the population through choosing leaders, at a time where the popular thing was to be under the rule of a monarch. But despite all of his political idea, one thing was extremely evident in his writing. This was that he preferred limited
The political and demotic atmospheres of a state altered impressively by the emerging of new philosophy as tracing back to the history of 17th -18th century Europe. John Locke, a great British philosopher of 17th century, laid a ground foundation for the Enlightenment and contributes to the conceptualization of liberalism and equality. His theories and philosophy deeply influenced Daniel Defoe’s adventure novel, Robinson Crusoe and the development of English government after Glorious Revolution.
John Locke was a British philosopher and Oxford academic and medical researcher. Locke was regarded as one of the most influential thinkers and was known as the “Father of Classical Liberalism”. Locke was considered one of the first of the British empiricists, following the tradition of Francis Bacon, and was equally important to social contract theory. His work significantly influenced the development of epi...