John locke school of thought

English philosopher and physician (1632–1704)

For other people named John Locke, see John Locke (disambiguation).

John Locke (; 29 August 1632 (O.S.) – 28 October 1704 (O.S.)) 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". Considered one of the first of the British empiricists, following the tradition of Francis Bacon, Locke is equally important to social contract theory. His work greatly affected the development of epistemology and political philosophy. His writings influenced Voltaire and Jean-Jacques Rousseau, and many Scottish Enlightenment thinkers, as well as the American Revolutionaries. His contributions to classical republicanism and liberal theory are reflected in the United States Declaration of Independence. Internationally, Locke's political-legal principles continue to have a profound influence on the theory and practice of limited representative government and the protection of basic rights and freedoms under the rule of law.

Locke's philosophy of mind is often cited as the origin of modern conceptions of personal identity and the psychology of self, figuring prominently in the work of later philosophers, such as Rousseau,

As is true of many seventeenth-century philosophers, John Locke’s interests span the disciplines that comprise the modern natural and social sciences. His most famous contribution to the history of political thought is his lucid articulation of the theoretical foundation of modern liberalism in his Two Treatises of Government and A Letter Concerning Toleration. He also made important contributions to economics, psychology, and education.

The Origins of Government

Locke was not the first philosopher to invoke a “state of nature” in his account of the origins of government, but his state of nature in the Second Treatise merits comparison to previous incarnations of the idea, and in particular to Thomas Hobbes’s use of the term in Leviathan. Locke claims that life in the state of nature was “a state of perfect freedom” as well as equality and plenty, lacking only “a common…authority to judge between them.”

Man in the state of nature possesses several rights by the law of nature, the most fundamental of which is the right of self-preservation, from which follows what Locke calls his “strange doctrine” that everyone in the state of nature has the right to punish offenders against that law without recourse to a higher magistrate or judge. Anyone who offends against the law of nature “puts himself into a state of war” against the rest of humanity, permitting anyone to punish him to the extent they judge necessary, including of course by death. So, although Locke’s state of nature seems at first more pleasant than Hobbes’s, this universal power to execute the law of nature soon leads to irresolvable conflict.

Because everyone is born equal and free, any form of rule over him requires his consent to be legitimate. Society thus originates from a social contract. The purpose of forming and submitting to government is to secure the individual rights to life, liberty, and property. Locke claims that citizens cannot fully give up their authority to judge whether go

John Locke’s Early Life and Education 

John Locke was born in 1632 in Wrighton, Somerset. His father was a lawyer and small landowner who had fought on the Parliamentarian side during the English Civil Wars of the 1640s. Using his wartime connections, he placed his son in the elite Westminster School.

Between 1652 and 1667, John Locke was a student and then lecturer at Christ Church, Oxford, where he focused on the standard curriculum of logic, metaphysics and classics. He also studied medicine extensively and was an associate of Robert Hooke, Robert Boyle and other leading Oxford scientists.

John Locke and the Earl of Shaftesbury

In 1666 Locke met the parliamentarian Anthony Ashley Cooper, later the first Earl of Shaftesbury. The two struck up a friendship that blossomed into full patronage, and a year later Locke was appointed physician to Shaftesbury’s household. That year he supervised a dangerous liver operation on Shaftesbury that likely saved his patron’s life.

For the next two decades, Locke’s fortunes were tied to Shaftesbury, who was first a leading minister to Charles II and then a founder of the opposing Whig Party. Shaftesbury led the 1679 “exclusion” campaign to bar the Catholic duke of York (the future James II) from the royal succession. When that failed, Shaftesbury began to plot armed resistance and was forced to flee to Holland in 1682. Locke would follow his patron into exile a year later, returning only after the Glorious Revolution had placed the Protestant William III on the throne.

John Locke’s Publications 

During his decades of service to Shaftesbury, John Locke had been writing. In the six years following his return to England he published all of his most significant works.

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(1632-1704)

Who Was John Locke?

John Locke went to Westminster School and then Christ Church, University of Oxford. At Oxford, he studied medicine, which would play a central role in his life. He became a highly influential philosopher, writing about such topics as political philosophy, epistemology, and education. Locke's writings helped found modern Western philosophy.

Early Life

Influential philosopher and physician John Locke, whose writings had a significant impact on Western philosophy, was born on August 29, 1632, in Wrington, a village in the English county of Somerset. His father was a country lawyer and military man who had served as a captain during the English civil war.

Both his parents were Puritans and as such, Locke was raised that way. Because of his father's connections and allegiance to the English government, Locke received an outstanding education.

Education

In 1647 he enrolled at Westminster School in London, where Locke earned the distinct honor of being named a King's Scholar, a privilege that went to only select number of boys and paved the way for Locke to attend Christ Church, Oxford in 1652.

At Christ Church, perhaps Oxford's most prestigious school, Locke immersed himself in logic and metaphysics, as well as the classical languages. After graduating in 1656, he returned to Christ Church two years later for a Master of Arts, which led in just a few short years to Locke taking on tutorial work at the college.

In 1668 Locke was elected a fellow of the Royal Society. He graduated with a bachelor's of medicine in 1674.

Early in his medical studies, Locke met Lord Ashley, who was to become Earl of Shaftesbury. The two grew close and Shaftesbury eventually persuaded Locke to move to London and become his personal physician. As Shaftesbury’s stature grew, so did Locke's responsibilities. He assisted in his business and political matters, and after Shaftesbury was made chancellor, Locke became his secretary of present