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Philosopher

John Locke

Epistemology

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 2
Notable Publication
Two Treatises of Government (1689) 2
Office Held
Commissioner for Trade and Plantations (the Board of Trade), appointed by William III 2
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 2
Tradition
British Empiricism; liberal social contract theory 2
Classification
Nationality
United Kingdom 1
Connections

Associated With

Source Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy
Source Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy
Source Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy
Source Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy
Source Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy
Source Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy
Tabula Rasa, Concepts
Source Tabula Rasa (Wikipedia)
Source Veil of Ignorance (Wikipedia)

In Branch

Source Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy
Source Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy

Influenced

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

Source Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy

Rejected Here

George Berkeley, Philosophers
Source George Berkeley (Wikipedia)

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.

Source Natural Law Theories (Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy)

Traditions Founded

Source Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy

Works Attributed

Source Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy
Source Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy
In the Other Atlases
Sources
1. Wikipedia: John Locke
WikipediaLead, opening sentence
Quote, Lead, opening sentence
John Locke (; 29 August 1632-28 October 1704) was an English philosopher and physician, widely regarded as one of the most influential of the Enlightenment thinkers and commonly known as the "father of liberalism".
View the Source
2. Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy
Stanford University, Center for the Study of Language and Information
  • 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.
  • 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.
  • entry: John Locke, Life and works
    Locke was born in Wrington to Puritan parents of modest means.
  • In Category: Philosophers
  • In Branch: Epistemology
  • In Branch: Political Philosophy
  • Traditions Founded: Empiricism, s.v. Rationalism vs. Empiricism
  • Works Attributed: Two Treatises of Government
  • Associated With: Epistemology, entry: Epistemology
  • Associated With: Empiricism, s.v. John Locke
  • 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)
Stanford University, Center for the Study of Language and InformationInfluenced By: Hugo Grotius, entry: Natural Law TheoriesView the Source
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.
View the Source
George Berkeley (Wikipedia)
WikipediaInfluenced: George Berkeley, Three Dialogues section
Quote, Influenced: George Berkeley, Three Dialogues section
Hylas...embodies Berkeley's opponents, in particular John Locke.
View the Source
Veil of Ignorance (Wikipedia)
WikipediaAssociated With: The Veil of Ignorance, Body text
Quote, Associated With: The Veil of Ignorance, Body text
In Rawls's theory the original position plays the same role as the 'state of nature' does in the social contract tradition of Thomas Hobbes and John Locke.
View the Source
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