Locke

In today’s world, John Locke, an Enlightenment thinker called the “father of liberalism”, is widely recognised as one of the greatest philosophers of modern England. John Locke’s early arguments for religious tolerance were revealed in a centuries-old manuscript, described as “the origin and catalyst for momentous and fundamental ideas of Western liberal democracy”.

Who was John Locke?

John Locke, a 17th-century British philosopher, is probably best recognised in America as one of the Founding Fathers’ sources of inspiration. In his Two Treatises of Government, he argued against kings having divine authority, instead favouring a system of government based on the consent of those being governed. Leaders like Jefferson greatly admired his views. In addition to being a philosopher, John Locke was also a political activist.

John Locke is regarded as a remarkable philosopher, regardless of political opinions. His An Essay Concerning Human Understanding is considered one of the most significant works of philosophy. He came up with many philosophies about personal identity and linguistic perspective.

Significant educational works

Locke was a pioneering empiricist, believing that knowledge can be achieved via experience and that evidence is required to substantiate theories.

John Locke’s books made significant contributions to the development of political ideology, epistemology, and education. In addition, his works impacted generations of philosophers, including Voltaire and Rousseau.

At school, he was more interested in the writings of contemporary philosophers than in following the prescribed course of study. He also developed a deep interest in medicine, leading him to pursue a career as a professional physician.

As a political theorist, he made significant contributions to traditional republicanism and liberal thought, represented in the American Declaration of Independence.

Among John Locke’s books, Two Treatises of Government is a seminal classic of political theory. John Locke’s social contract theory is at the core of political ideologies.

Locke’s ideas on enhancing education in England were laid out in his treatise, Some Thoughts Concerning Education. Within a century, it had been translated into nearly every major European language and was considered a fundamental philosophical book on the subject of education.

Another significant idea is Locke’s “theory of mind”, which aided in understanding the concept of identity. Like many of Locke’s theories, this theory contradicted existing Cartesian ideas. This theory of self was later adopted by philosophers such as Hume and Kant.

John Locke’s social contract theory

Social contract theory is the concept that individuals’ moral and political responsibilities depend on the formation of the community in which they live through a contract or agreement.

John Locke distinguished himself from Hobbes, including regarding the fact that he considered the state of nature a condition of perfect liberty, rather than a state in which persons, while free, equal, and autonomous, are bound by the law of nature to recognise one another’s right to liberty and property.

Individuals agree to organise a commonwealth (and therefore to depart from nature) to establish an impartial authority capable of resolving disputes and redressing losses. As a result, John Locke argued that the commitment to following leadership was conditional on preserving each person’s inherent rights, such as the right to property. Sovereigns could be overthrown if they broke these rules.

Locke thus highlighted one of political liberalism’s essential principles: that authority cannot be abused; however, citizens must accept the judgements of a majority once political society is established. The legislature makes such decisions on behalf of the majority. However, the ultimate responsibility of choosing the legislature rests with the people. Moreover, the legislature’s powers are not absolute since the law of nature serves as a permanent benchmark and a safeguard against arbitrary government.

Roots of scepticism

John Locke made significant contributions to our understanding of how we acquire knowledge. Despite his reliance on argument and experiences, he was a passionate Christian who believed our creator “has bestowed only the twilight” on us. God purposefully left our thoughts in a “state of mediocrity” to make us “conscious of our short-sightedness and susceptibility to error”.

To deter speculative natural philosophers from their “educated babble”, John Locke used these claimed constraints on human knowledge in tandem with his theories on secondary qualities.

Locke neither accepted the sceptical conclusion nor proposed a resolution to the conflict.

Conclusion

Without a doubt, John Locke’s social contract theory will continue to remain relevant. In Locke’s view, the state of nature is not one in which persons live. These societies are ethical but not political, as they are founded on mutual agreements to support children cooperatively. To our benefit now, empiricism-based science has successfully harnessed nature for our benefit, but Locke’s arguments did not match with common sense at his time.