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For other persons named John Locke, see John Locke (disambiguation). Locke (surname John Locke (1632&ndash1704 was a 17th century English philosopher
Western Philosophers
17th-century philosophy
(Modern Philosophy)
John Locke
Name
John Locke
Birth August 29, 1632
Wrington, Somerset, England
Death October 28, 1704 (aged 72)
Essex, England
School/tradition British Empiricism, Social contract, Natural law
Main interests Metaphysics, Epistemology, Political philosophy, philosophy of mind, Education
Notable ideas tabula rasa, "government with the consent of the governed"; state of nature; rights of life, liberty and property
Influenced by Plato, Aristotle, Avicenna, Ibn Tufail, Aquinas, Grotius, Samuel Rutherford, Descartes, Hooker, Hobbes, Polish Brethren
Influenced Hume, Kant, Berkeley, Paine, Smith and many political philosophers after him, especially the American Founding Fathers, Arthur Schopenhauer
Signature

John Locke (August 29, 1632 – October 28, 1704) was an English philosopher. 17th century philosophy in the Western world is generally regarded as being the start of Modern philosophy, and a departure from the medieval approach Events 708 - Copper coins are minted in Japan for the first time (Traditional Japanese date: August 10, 708) Wrington is a Village in North Somerset, England. It lies in the valley of the Congresbury Yeo river about east of Weston-super-Mare Somerset ( or) is a county in south west England The County town is Taunton, which is in the south of the county England is a Country which is part of the United Kingdom. Its inhabitants account for more than 83% of the total UK population whilst its mainland Events 306 - Maxentius is proclaimed Roman Emperor. 312 - Battle of Milvian Bridge: Constantine Year 1704 ( MDCCIV) was a Leap year starting on Tuesday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Essex is a county in the East of England. The County town is Chelmsford, and the highest point of the county is Chrishall Common England is a Country which is part of the United Kingdom. Its inhabitants account for more than 83% of the total UK population whilst its mainland In Philosophy, empiricism is a theory of Knowledge which asserts that knowledge arises from Experience. Social contract describes a broad class of republican theories whose subjects are implied agreements by which people form Nations and maintain a Social order Natural law or the law of nature ( Latin: lex naturalis) is a theory that posits the existence of a law whose content is set by Nature and that Metaphysics is the branch of Philosophy investigating principles of reality transcending those of any particular science Epistemology (from Greek επιστήμη - episteme, "knowledge" + λόγος, " Logos " or theory of knowledge Political philosophy is the study of questions about the City, Government, Politics, Liberty, Justice, Property, Rights Philosophy of mind is the branch of Philosophy that studies the nature of the Mind, Mental events Mental functions mental properties Education encompasses both the Teaching and Learning of Knowledge, proper conduct, and technical competency Tabula rasa ( Latin: blank slate) refers to the epistemological thesis that individual human beings are born with no built-in mental content State of nature is a term in Political philosophy used in Social contract theories to describe the hypothetical condition of humanity before the State 's Liberty, the freedom to act or believe without being stopped by unnecessary force Property is any physical or virtual entity that is owned by an individual Biography Early life Birth and family Plato was born in Athens Greece Aristotle (Greek Aristotélēs) (384 BC – 322 BC was a Greek philosopher a student of Plato and teacher of Alexander the Great. TemplateInfobox Muslim scholars --> ( Persian /ابو علی الحسین ابن عبدالله ابن سینا (born TemplateInfobox Muslim scholars --> Ibn Tufail (c 1105 Guadix Spain &ndash 1185 (full Arabic name Hugo Grotius or Huig de Groot, or Hugo de Groot; ( Delft, 10 April 1583 Rostock, 28 August 1645 Samuel Rutherford (1600? &ndash 1661 was a Scottish Presbyterian theologian and author Richard Hooker (March 1554 – 3 November 1600) was an Anglican priest and an influential theologian. Thomas Hobbes (born 5 April 1588died 4 December 1679 was an English philosopher, whose famous 1651 book Leviathan established the foundation Polish Brethren (also called Antitrinitarians, Arians, or Socinians, Polish Arianie, Bracia Polscy) was the name of a Protestant David Hume (26 April 1711 25 August 1776 Scottish Philosopher, Economist, and Historian is an important figure in Western philosophy Immanuel Kant (ɪmanuəl kant 22 April 1724 12 February 1804 was an 18th-century German Philosopher from the Prussian city of Königsberg George Berkeley (ˈbɑrkli (12 March 1685 14 January 1753 also known as Bishop Berkeley, was a Philosopher. Thomas Paine (January 29 1737 &ndash June 8 1809 was an English Pamphleteer, Revolutionary, radical, Inventor, and Intellectual Adam Smith ( baptised 16 June 1723 – 17 July 1790) was a Scottish moral philosopher and a pioneer of Political economy. The Founding Fathers of the United States are the Political leaders who signed the Declaration of Independence or otherwise participated in the Events 708 - Copper coins are minted in Japan for the first time (Traditional Japanese date: August 10, 708) Events 306 - Maxentius is proclaimed Roman Emperor. 312 - Battle of Milvian Bridge: Constantine Year 1704 ( MDCCIV) was a Leap year starting on Tuesday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a England is a Country which is part of the United Kingdom. Its inhabitants account for more than 83% of the total UK population whilst its mainland Philosophy is the study of general problems concerning matters such as existence knowledge truth beauty justice validity mind and language Locke is considered the first of the British Empiricists, but is equally important to social contract theory. In Philosophy, empiricism is a theory of Knowledge which asserts that knowledge arises from Experience. Social contract describes a broad class of republican theories whose subjects are implied agreements by which people form Nations and maintain a Social order His ideas had enormous influence on the development of epistemology and political philosophy, and he is widely regarded as one of the most influential Enlightenment thinkers and contributors to liberal theory. Epistemology (from Greek επιστήμη - episteme, "knowledge" + λόγος, " Logos " or theory of knowledge Political philosophy is the study of questions about the City, Government, Politics, Liberty, Justice, Property, Rights The Age of Enlightenment or The Enlightenment is a term used to describe a phase in Western philosophy and cultural life centered upon the eighteenth century This is a partial list of individual contributions to liberal political theory on a worldwide scale His writings influenced Voltaire and Rousseau, many Scottish Enlightenment thinkers, as well as the American revolutionaries. François-Marie Arouet ( 21 November 1694 30 May 1778) better known by the Pen name Voltaire, was a French The Scottish Enlightenment was the period in 18th century Scotland characterised by an outpouring of intellectual and scientific accomplishments In this article the inhabitants of the thirteen colonies that supported the American Revolution are primarily referred to as "Americans" with occasional references to "Patriots" This influence is reflected in the American Declaration of Independence. The United States of America —commonly referred to as the The United States Declaration of Independence is a statement adopted by the Continental Congress on July 4 1776 announcing that the thirteen American colonies then

Locke's theory of mind is often cited as the origin for modern conceptions of identity and "the self", figuring prominently in the later works of philosophers such as David Hume, Jean-Jacques Rousseau and Immanuel Kant. David Hume (26 April 1711 25 August 1776 Scottish Philosopher, Economist, and Historian is an important figure in Western philosophy Immanuel Kant (ɪmanuəl kant 22 April 1724 12 February 1804 was an 18th-century German Philosopher from the Prussian city of Königsberg Locke was the first philosopher to define the self through a continuity of "consciousness. " He also postulated that the mind was a "blank slate" or "tabula rasa"; that is, contrary to Cartesian or Christian philosophy, Locke maintained that people are born without innate ideas. Tabula rasa ( Latin: blank slate) refers to the epistemological thesis that individual human beings are born with no built-in mental content Christian philosophy is a term to describe the fusion of various fields of Philosophy with the theological doctrines of Christianity.

Contents

Life

Locke's father, who was also named John Locke, was a country lawyer and clerk to the Justices of the Peace in Chew Magna,[1] who had served as a captain of cavalry for the Parliamentarian forces during the early part of the English Civil War. Chew Magna ( is a village within the Chew Valley in North East Somerset, England " Roundheads " was the Nickname given to the Puritan supporters of Parliament during the English Civil War. The English Civil War (1642-1651 was a series of armed conflicts and political machinations between Parliamentarians and Royalists. His mother, Agnes Keene, was a tanner's daughter and reputed to be very beautiful. Both parents were Puritans. A Puritan of 16th and 17th century England was an associate of any number of religious groups advocating for more "purity" of Worship and Doctrine, Locke was born on August 29, 1632, in a small thatched cottage by the church in Wrington, Somerset, about twelve miles from Bristol. Events 708 - Copper coins are minted in Japan for the first time (Traditional Japanese date: August 10, 708) Wrington is a Village in North Somerset, England. It lies in the valley of the Congresbury Yeo river about east of Weston-super-Mare Somerset ( or) is a county in south west England The County town is Taunton, which is in the south of the county Bristol ( ˈbrɪstəl is a city, Unitary authority and ceremonial county in South West England, west of London He was baptised the same day. In Christianity, baptism ( Greek, "immersing" "performing Ablutions " is the ritual act with the use of water by which one is admitted Soon after Locke's birth, the family moved to the market town of Pensford, about seven miles south of Bristol, where Locke grew up in a rural Tudor house in Belluton. Market town or market right is a legal term originating in the Medieval period for a European settlement that has the right to hold Markets Pensford ( is a village in the Civil parish of Publow and Pensford in Bath and North East Somerset, England. The Tudor style in architecture is the final development of medieval architecture during the Tudor period (1485&ndash1603 and even beyond for conservative college Belluton is a village in Somerset, England. It is in the district of Bath and North East Somerset and is located due south of the city of Bristol

In 1647, Locke was sent to the prestigious Westminster School in London under the sponsorship of Alexander Popham, a member of Parliament and former commander of the younger Locke's father. The Royal College of St Peter in Westminster, almost always known as Westminster School, is one of Britain 's leading boys' Independent schools with London ( ˈlʌndən is the capital and largest urban area in the United Kingdom. Alexander Popham (1605 – 1669 was an English politician He is now remembered for his role as patron of the philosopher John Locke. A Member of Parliament, or MP, is a representative elected by the voters to a Parliament. After completing his studies there, he was admitted to Christ Church, Oxford. Not to be confused with Christchurch, a city in New Zealand. Christ Church (Ædes Christi the temple or house of Christ and thus sometimes known as The dean of the college at the time was John Owen, vice-chancellor of the university. John Owen ( 1616 - August 24, 1683) was an English Nonconformist church leader and theologian Although a capable student, Locke was irritated by the undergraduate curriculum of the time. He found the works of modern philosophers, such as René Descartes, more interesting than the classical material taught at the university. "Classical literature" redirects here For literature in Classical languages outside the Graeco-Roman sphere see Ancient literature. Through his friend Richard Lower, whom he knew from the Westminster School, Locke was introduced to medicine and the experimental philosophy being pursued at other universities and in the English Royal Society, of which he eventually became a member. The Royal Society of London for the Improvement of Natural Knowledge, known simply as The Royal Society, is a Learned society for science that was founded in 1660

Locke was awarded a bachelor's degree in 1656 and a master's degree in 1658. A bachelor's degree is usually an Undergraduate Academic degree awarded for a course or major that generally lasts for three four or in some cases and He obtained a bachelor of medicine in 1674, having studied medicine extensively during his time at Oxford and worked with such noted scientists and thinkers as Robert Boyle, Thomas Willis, Robert Hooke and Richard Lower. Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery, or in Latin Medicinae Baccalaureus et Baccalaureus Chirurgiae (abbreviated MB BChir, BM BCh, Medicine is the art and science of healing It encompasses a range of Health care practices evolved to maintain and restore Human Health by the Oxford is currently bidding for the 2010 Wikimania Conference Oxford () is a city, and the County town of Oxfordshire, Robert Boyle was a Natural philosopher, chemist physicist inventor and early Gentleman scientist, noted for his work in Physics and Chemistry Thomas Willis ( 27 January 1621 &ndash 11 November 1675) was an English doctor who played an important part in the history of Robert Hooke, FRS (18 July 1635 – 3 March 1703 was an English Natural philosopher and Polymath who played an important role in the Richard Lower may refer to Richard Lower (physician Richard Lower (poet In 1666, he met Lord Anthony Ashley Cooper, 1st Earl of Shaftesbury, who had come to Oxford seeking treatment for a liver infection. Anthony Ashley-Cooper 1st Earl of Shaftesbury ( July 22, 1621 &ndash January 21, 1683) known as Sir Anthony Ashley-Cooper The liver is a vital organ in the human body and is present in Vertebrates and some other animals Cooper was impressed with Locke and persuaded him to become part of his retinue.

Locke had been looking for a career and in 1667 moved into Shaftesbury's home at Exeter House in London, to serve as Lord Ashley's personal physician. In London, Locke resumed his medical studies under the tutelage of Thomas Sydenham. London ( ˈlʌndən is the capital and largest urban area in the United Kingdom. Thomas Sydenham (or Syndenham ( September 10, 1624 &ndash December 29, 1689) was an English Physician. Sydenham had a major effect on Locke's natural philosophical thinking — an effect that would become evident in the An Essay Concerning Human Understanding. An Essay Concerning Human Understanding is one of John Locke 's two most famous works the other being his Second Treatise on Civil Government

Locke's medical knowledge was put to the test when Shaftesbury's liver infection became life-threatening. An infection is the detrimental Colonization of a host Organism by a foreign Species. Locke coordinated the advice of several physicians and was probably instrumental in persuading Shaftesbury to undergo an operation (then life-threatening itself) to remove the cyst. Shaftesbury survived and prospered, crediting Locke with saving his life.

It was in Shaftesbury's household, during 1671, that the meeting took place, described in the Epistle to the reader of the Essay, which was the genesis of what would later become Essay. Two extant Drafts still survive from this period. It was also during this time that Locke served as Secretary of the Board of Trade and Plantations and Secretary to the Lords and Proprietors of the Carolinas, helping to shape his ideas on international trade and economics.

Shaftesbury, as a founder of the Whig movement, exerted great influence on Locke's political ideas. The Whigs (with the Tories) are often described as one of two political parties in England and later the United Kingdom from the late 17th to Locke became involved in politics when Shaftesbury became Lord Chancellor in 1672. The Lord High Chancellor of Great Britain, or Lord Chancellor is a senior and important functionary in the Government of the United Kingdom. Following Shaftesbury's fall from favour in 1675, Locke spent some time travelling across France. This article is about the country For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic France topics. He returned to England in 1679 when Shaftesbury's political fortunes took a brief positive turn. Around this time, most likely at Shaftesbury's prompting, Locke composed the bulk of the Two Treatises of Government. The Two Treatises of Government (or " Two Treatises of Government In the Former The False Principles and Foundation of Sir Robert Filmer And His Followers are Detected Locke wrote the Treatises to defend the Glorious Revolution of 1688, but also to counter the absolutist political philosophy of Sir Robert Filmer and Thomas Hobbes. The Glorious Revolution, also called the Revolution of 1688, was the overthrow of King James II of England (VII of Scotland in 1688 by a union Though Locke was associated with the influential Whigs, his ideas about natural rights and government are today considered quite revolutionary for that period in English history.

However, Locke fled to the Netherlands, Holland, in 1683, under strong suspicion of involvement in the Rye House Plot (though there is little evidence to suggest that he was directly involved in the scheme). The Netherlands ( Dutch:, ˈnedərlɑnt is the European part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, which consists of the Netherlands the Netherlands The Rye House Plot of 1683 was a plan to assassinate King Charles II of England and his brother (and heir to the throne James Duke of York. In the Netherlands Locke had time to return to his writing, spending a great deal of time re-working the Essay and composing the Letter on Toleration. Locke did not return home until after the Glorious Revolution. The Glorious Revolution, also called the Revolution of 1688, was the overthrow of King James II of England (VII of Scotland in 1688 by a union Locke accompanied William of Orange's wife back to England in 1688. William III or William of Orange (14 November 1650 &ndash 8 March 1702 He is informally known in Northern Ireland and Scotland as "King Billy" The bulk of Locke's publishing took place after his arrival back in England — his aforementioned Essay Concerning Human Understanding, the Two Treatises of Civil Government and A Letter Concerning Toleration all appearing in quick succession upon his return from exile. A Letter Concerning Toleration by John Locke was originally published in 1689.

Locke's close friend Lady Masham invited him to join her at the Mashams' country house in Essex. Although his time there was marked by variable health from asthma attacks, he nevertheless became an intellectual hero of the Whigs. Asthma is a chronic Condition involving the Respiratory system in which the airways occasionally constrict become inflamed, and are The Whigs (with the Tories) are often described as one of two political parties in England and later the United Kingdom from the late 17th to During this period he discussed matters with such figures as John Dryden and Isaac Newton. John Dryden (– was an influential English poet Literary critic, Translator and playwright who dominated the literary life of Restoration England Sir Isaac Newton, FRS (ˈnjuːtən 4 January 1643 31 March 1727) Biography Early years See also Isaac Newton's early life and achievements

He died in October 28, 1704 due to declining health, and is buried in the churchyard of the village of High Laver,[2] east of Harlow in Essex, where he had lived in the household of Sir Francis Masham since 1691. Year 1704 ( MDCCIV) was a Leap year starting on Tuesday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a High Laver is a village in the Epping Forest district of the County of Essex, England. Harlow is a New town and local government district in Essex, England. Essex is a county in the East of England. The County town is Chelmsford, and the highest point of the county is Chrishall Common Locke never married nor had children.

Events that happened during Locke's lifetime include the English Restoration, the Great Plague of London and the Great Fire of London. The English Restoration, or simply The Restoration began in 1660 when the English monarchy, Scottish monarchy and Irish monarchy were restored The Great Plague (1665-1666 was a massive outbreak of Disease in England that killed 75000 to 100000 people up to a fifth of London 's population This article is about the Great Fire of 1666 For other great fires in London see Early fires of London or Second Great Fire of London. He did not quite see the Act of Union of 1707, though the thrones of England and Scotland were held by the same monarch throughout his lifetime. The Acts of Union were a pair of Parliamentary Acts passed during 1706 and 1707 by the Parliament of England and the Parliament of Scotland to put into Year 1707 ( MDCCVII) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a England is a Country which is part of the United Kingdom. Its inhabitants account for more than 83% of the total UK population whilst its mainland Scotland ( Gaelic: Alba) is a Country in northwest Europethat occupies the northern third of the island of Great Britain. Constitutional monarchy and parliamentary democracy were in their infancy during Locke's time. A constitutional monarchy, or a limited monarchy, is a form of Constitutional Government, wherein either an elected or hereditary Monarch is A parliamentary system, also known as parliamentarianism (and parliamentarism in American English) is a System of government in which

Locke's epitaph

Original Latin:

Hic juxta situs est JOHANNES LOCKE. Si qualis fuerit rogas, mediocritate sua contentum se vixesse respondet. Literis innutritus eo usque tantum profecit, ut veritati unice litaret. Hoc ex scriptis illius disce, quae quod de eo reliquum est majori fide tibe exhibebunt, quam epitaphii suspecta elogia. Virtutes si quas habuit, minores sane quam sibi laudi duceret tibi in exemplum proponeret; vita una sepeliantur. Morum exemplum si squaeras in Evangelio habes: vitiorum utinam nusquam: mortalitatis certe (quod prosit) hic et ubique.

Natum Anno Dom. 1632 Aug. 29

Mortuum Anno Dom. 1704 Oct. 28

Memorat haec tabula brevi et ipse interitura.

English Translation:

"Near this place lies John Locke. If you ask what kind of a man he was, he answers that he lived content with his own small fortune. Bred a scholar, he made his learning subservient only to the cause of truth. This you will learn from his writings, which will show you everything else concerning him, with greater truth, than the suspect praises of an epitaph. His virtues, indeed, if he had any, were too little for him to propose as matter of praise to himself, or as an example to you. Let his vices be buried with him. Of good life, you have an example in the gospel, should you desire it; of vice, would there were none for you; of mortality, surely you have one here and everywhere, and may you learn from it. That he was born on the 29th of August in the year of our Lord 1632, and that he died on the 28th of October in the year of our Lord 1704, this tablet, which itself will soon perish, is a record. "

Influence

Locke exercised a profound influence on philosophy and politics, in particular on liberalism. Liberalism is a broad array of related ideas and theories of Government that consider individual Liberty to be the most important political goal Most modern libertarians claim him as an influence. Libertarianism is a term used by a broad spectrum of political philosophies which prioritize individual Liberty and seek to minimize or even abolish the He was a strong influence on Voltaire, while his arguments concerning liberty and the social contract later influenced the written works of Alexander Hamilton, James Madison, Thomas Jefferson, and other Founding Fathers of the United States. François-Marie Arouet ( 21 November 1694 30 May 1778) better known by the Pen name Voltaire, was a French Liberty, the freedom to act or believe without being stopped by unnecessary force Social contract describes a broad class of republican theories whose subjects are implied agreements by which people form Nations and maintain a Social order James Madison Jr (March 16 1751 – June 28 1836 was an American Politician, the fourth President of the United States (1809–1817 and one of the Founding Thomas Jefferson (April 13 1743 – July 4 1826 was the third President of the United States (1801–1809 the principal author of the Declaration of Independence The Founding Fathers of the United States are the Political leaders who signed the Declaration of Independence or otherwise participated in the The United States of America —commonly referred to as the In addition, Locke's views influenced the American and French Revolutions. But Locke's influence may have been even more profound in the realm of epistemology. Locke redefined subjectivity, or self, and intellectual historians such as Charles Taylor and Jerrold Seigel argue that Locke's Essay Concerning Human Understanding (1690) marks the beginning of the modern conception of the self. [3]

Constitution of Carolina

Appraisals of Locke have often been tied to appraisals of liberalism in general, and also to appraisals of the United States. Liberalism is a broad array of related ideas and theories of Government that consider individual Liberty to be the most important political goal Detractors note that (in 1671) he was a major investor in the English slave-trade through the Royal Africa Company, as well as through his participation in drafting the Fundamental Constitution of the Carolinas while Shaftesbury's secretary, which established a feudal aristocracy and gave a master absolute power over his slaves. The Fundamental Constitutions of Carolina were adopted in March 1669 by the eight Lords Proprietor of Carolina, which included most of the land in between what is Anthony Ashley-Cooper 1st Earl of Shaftesbury ( July 22, 1621 &ndash January 21, 1683) known as Sir Anthony Ashley-Cooper A secretary is either an administrative assistant in business office administration, or a certain type of mid- or high-level governmental position such as a They note that as a secretary to the Council of Trade and Plantations (1673-4) and a member of the Board of Trade (1696-1700) Locke was, in fact, "one of just half a dozen men who created and supervised both the colonies and their iniquitous systems of servitude" [4] Some see his statements on unenclosed property as having justified the displacement of the Native Americans. Enclosure or inclosure (the latter is used in Legal documents and Place names is the term used in England and Wales Property is any physical or virtual entity that is owned by an individual Native Americans in the United States are the indigenous peoples from the regions of North America now encompassed by the continental United States Because of his opposition to aristocracy and slavery in his major writings, he is accused of hypocrisy, or of caring only for the liberty of English capitalists. The English people (from the adjective in Englisc) are a Nation and Ethnic group native to England who predominantly speak English Capitalism is the Economic system in which the Means of production are owned by private Persons and operated for Profit and where Most American liberal scholars reject these criticisms, however, questioning the extent of his impact upon the Fundamental Constitution and his detractors' interpretations of his work in general.

Theory of value and property

Locke uses the word property in both broad and narrow senses. In a broad sense, it covers a wide range of human interests and aspirations; more narrowly, it refers to material goods. He argues that property is a natural right and it is derived from labor.

Locke believed that ownership of property is created by the application of labor. Property is any physical or virtual entity that is owned by an individual Manual labour (or manual labor) is physical work done with the hands especially in an unskilled job such as fruit and vegetable picking road building or any In addition, property precedes government and government cannot "dispose of the estates of the subjects arbitrarily. " Karl Marx later critiqued Locke's theory of property in his social theory.

Political theory

See also: Two Treatises of Government

Unlike Thomas Hobbes, Locke believed that human nature is characterized by reason and tolerance. The Two Treatises of Government (or " Two Treatises of Government In the Former The False Principles and Foundation of Sir Robert Filmer And His Followers are Detected Thomas Hobbes (born 5 April 1588died 4 December 1679 was an English philosopher, whose famous 1651 book Leviathan established the foundation Human nature is the concept that there are a set of logical characteristics including ways of thinking feeling and acting that all 'normal' human beings have in common Like Hobbes, Locke believed that human nature allowed men to be selfish. This is apparent with the introduction of currency. In a natural state all people were equal and independent, and none had a right to harm another’s “life, health, liberty, or possessions. State of nature is a term in Political philosophy used in Social contract theories to describe the hypothetical condition of humanity before the State 's ” However, Locke never refers to Hobbes by name and may instead have been responding to other writers of the day. [5] Locke also advocated governmental separation of powers and believed that revolution is not only a right but an obligation in some circumstances. Separation of powers, a term ascribed to French Enlightenment Political philosopher Baron de Montesquieu, is a model for the Governance In Political philosophy, the right of revolution (or right of rebellion) is a Right or Duty, variously stated throughout history of a people These ideas would come to have profound influence on the Constitution of the United States and its Declaration of Independence. The Constitution of the United States of America is the supreme Law of the United States. The United States Declaration of Independence is a statement adopted by the Continental Congress on July 4 1776 announcing that the thirteen American colonies then

Limits to accumulation

Labor creates property, but it also does contain limits to its accumulation: man’s capacity to produce and man’s capacity to consume. According to Locke, unused property is waste and an offense against nature. However, with the introduction of “durable” goods, men could exchange their excessive perishable goods for goods that would last longer and thus not offend the natural law. The introduction of money marks the culmination of this process. Money makes possible the unlimited accumulation of property without causing waste through spoilage. He also includes gold or silver as money because they may be “hoarded up without injury to anyone,” since they do not spoil or decay in the hands of the possessor. The introduction of money eliminates the limits of accumulation. Locke stresses that inequality has come about by tacit agreement on the use of money, not by the social contract establishing civil society or the law of land regulating property. Locke is aware of a problem posed by unlimited accumulation but does not consider it his task. He just implies that government would function to moderate the conflict between the unlimited accumulation of property and a more nearly equal distribution of wealth and does not say which principles that government should apply to solve this problem. However, not all elements of his thought form a consistent whole. For example, labor theory of value of the Two Treatises of Government stands side by side with the demand-and-supply theory developed in a letter he wrote titled Some Considerations on the Consequences of the Lowering of Interest and the Raising of the Value of Money. The Two Treatises of Government (or " Two Treatises of Government In the Former The False Principles and Foundation of Sir Robert Filmer And His Followers are Detected Moreover, Locke anchors property in labor but in the end upholds the unlimited accumulation of wealth.

Locke on price theory

Locke’s general theory of value and price is a supply and demand theory, which was set out in a letter to a Member of Parliament in 1691, titled Some Considerations on the Consequences of the Lowering of Interest and the Raising of the Value of Money. Supply and demand is an Economic model describing effects on price and quantity in a Market. A Member of Parliament, or MP, is a representative elected by the voters to a Parliament. [6] Supply is quantity and demand is rent. “The price of any commodity rises or falls by the proportion of the number of buyer and sellers. ” and “that which regulates the price. . . [of goods] is nothing else but their quantity in proportion to their rent. ” The quantity theory of money forms a special case of this general theory. His idea is based on “money answers all things” (Ecclesiastes) or “rent of money is always sufficient, or more than enough,” and “varies very little…” Regardless of whether the demand for money is unlimited or constant, Locke concludes that as far as money is concerned, the demand is exclusively regulated by its quantity. He also investigates the determinants of demand and supply. For supply, goods in general are considered valuable because they can be exchanged, consumed and they must be scarce. For demand, goods are in demand because they yield a flow of income. Locke develops an early theory of capitalization, such as land, which has value because “by its constant production of saleable commodities it brings in a certain yearly income. Capitalization (or capitalisation &mdash see spelling differences) is writing a word with its first letter as a Majuscule (upper case letter ” Demand for money is almost the same as demand for goods or land; it depends on whether money is wanted as medium of exchange or as loanable funds. For medium of exchange “money is capable by exchange to procure us the necessaries or conveniences of life. ” For loanable funds, “it comes to be of the same nature with land by yielding a certain yearly income … or interest. A loan is a type of Debt. This article focuses exclusively on monetary loans although in practice any material object might be lent ”

Monetary thoughts

Locke distinguishes two functions of money, as a "counter" to measure value, and as a "pledge" to lay claim to goods. Money is anything that is generally accepted as Payment for Goods and services and repayment of Debts. He believes that silver and gold, as opposed to paper money, are the appropriate currency for international transactions. Silver and gold, he says, are treated to have equal value by all of humanity and can thus be treated as a pledge by anyone, while the value of paper money is only valid under the government which issues it.

Locke argues that a country should seek a favorable balance of trade, lest it fall behind other countries and suffer a loss in its trade. The balance of trade (or net exports, sometimes symbolized as NX) is the difference between the monetary value of Exports and imports in an Since the world money stock grows constantly, a country must constantly seek to enlarge its own stock. Locke develops his theory of foreign exchanges, in addition to commodity movements, there are also movements in country stock of money, and movements of capital determine exchange rates. The latter is less significant and less volatile than commodity movements. As for a country’s money stock, if it is large relative to that of other countries, it will cause the country’s exchange to rise above par, as an export balance would do. In Economics, money supply, or money stock, is the total amount of money available in an Economy at a particular point in time

He also prepares estimates of the cash requirements for different economic groups (landholders, laborers and brokers). Cash usually refers to Money in the form of Currency, such as Banknotes and Coins In Bookkeeping and Finance, In each group the cash requirements are closely related to the length of the pay period. He argues the brokers – middlemen – whose activities enlarge the monetary circuit and whose profits eat into the earnings of laborers and landholders, had a negative influence on both one's personal and the public economy that they supposedly contributed to.

The Self

Locke defines the self as “that conscious thinking thing, (whatever substance, made up of whether spiritual, or material, simple, or compounded, it matters not) which is sensible, or conscious of pleasure and pain, capable of happiness or misery, and so is concerned for itself, as far as that consciousness extends,”[7] but Locke does not ignore the “substance. ” He writes “the body too goes to the making the man. "[8] The Lockean self is therefore a self-aware, self-reflective consciousness that is fixed in a body. In his Essay, Locke explains the gradual unfolding of this conscious mind. Arguing against both the Augustinian view of man as originally sinful and the Cartesian position which holds that man innately knows basic logical propositions, Locke posits an “empty” mind—a tabula rasa—that is shaped by experience; sensations and reflections being the two sources of all our ideas. In Psychology, sensation is the first stage in the biochemical and neurologic events that begins with the impinging of a stimulus upon the receptor cells of a Human self-reflection is the capacity of Humans to exercise Introspection and the willingness to learn more about our fundamental nature Purpose and An idea is a form (such as a Thought) formed by Consciousness (including Mind) through the Process of ideation. [9] Locke's Some Thoughts Concerning Education is an outline for how to educate this mind; he expresses his belief that education makes the man, or more fundamentally, that the mind is an “empty cabinet” with the statement, “I think I may say that of all the men we meet with, nine parts of ten are what they are, good or evil, useful or not, by their education. Some Thoughts Concerning Education is a 1693 treatise "[10]

Locke also suggested that “the little and almost insensible impressions on our tender infancies have very important and lasting consequences. "[11] He argued that the “associations of ideas” that one makes when young are more important than those made later because they are the foundation of the self—they are what first mark the tabula rasa. In the Essay, in which he introduces both of these concepts, Locke warns against, for example, letting “a foolish maid” convince a child that “goblins and sprites” are associated with the night for “darkness shall ever afterwards bring with it those frightful ideas, and they shall be so joined, that he can no more bear the one than the other. "[12] "Associationism," as this theory would come to be called, exerted a very powerful influence over eighteenth-century thought, particularly educational theory. Nearly every educational writer would warn parents not to allow their children to develop negative associations. It also led to the development of psychology and other new disciplines with David Hartley's attempt to discover a biological mechanism for associationism in his Observations on Man (1749). David Hartley (June 21 1705&ndashAugust 28 1757 was an English philosopher and founder of the Associationist school of Psychology

List of major works

Major unpublished or posthumous manuscripts

Secondary literature

See also

Notes

  1. ^ Broad, C. Liberalism is a broad array of related ideas and theories of Government that consider individual Liberty to be the most important political goal Libertarianism is a term used by a broad spectrum of political philosophies which prioritize individual Liberty and seek to minimize or even abolish the This is a partial list of individual contributions to liberal political theory on a worldwide scale Consciousness has been defined loosely as a constellation of attributes of Mind such as Subjectivity, Self-awareness, Sentience, and the The Lockean Proviso is a portion of John Locke's Labor theory of property which says that though individuals have a right to acquire private property from nature that they Polish Brethren (also called Antitrinitarians, Arians, or Socinians, Polish Arianie, Bracia Polscy) was the name of a Protestant D. (2000). Ethics And the History of Philosophy. UK: Routledge. ISBN 0-415-22530-2.  
  2. ^ Britannica Online, s. v. John Lokce
  3. ^ Seigel, Jerrold. The Idea of the Self: Thought and Experience in Western Europe since the Seventeenth Century. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press (2005) and Charles Taylor, Sources of the Self: The Making of Modern Identity. Cambridge: Harvard University Press (1989).
  4. ^ page 101, Philosophical Tales, by Martin Cohen, (Blackwell 2008)
  5. ^ Skinner, Quentin Visions of Politics. Cambridge.
  6. ^ John Locke (1691) Some Considerations on the consequences of the Lowering of Interest and the Raising of the Value of Money
  7. ^ Locke, John. An Essay Concerning Human Understanding. Ed. Roger Woolhouse. New York: Penguin Books (1997), 307.
  8. ^ Locke, Essay, 306.
  9. ^ The American International Encyclopedia, J. J. Little Company, New York 1954, Volume 9.
  10. ^ Locke, John. Some Thoughts Concerning Education and Of the Conduct of the Understanding. Eds. Ruth W. Grant and Nathan Tarcov. Indianapolis: Hackett Publishing Co. , Inc. (1996), 10.
  11. ^ Locke, Some Thoughts, 10.
  12. ^ Locke, Essay, 357.

Further reading

External links

Works

Resources

Persondata
NAME Locke, John
ALTERNATIVE NAMES
SHORT DESCRIPTION English philosopher
DATE OF BIRTH August 29, 1632(1632-08-29)
PLACE OF BIRTH Wrington, Somerset, England
DATE OF DEATH October 28, 1704
PLACE OF DEATH Essex, England

Project Gutenberg, abbreviated as PG, is a volunteer effort to Digitize, archive and distribute Cultural works Jonathan F Bennett (born 1930 Westport New Zealand) is a British Philosopher of language and Metaphysics, and a historian The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy (SEP is a freely-accessible Online encyclopedia of Philosophy maintained by Stanford University. Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. Events 553 - The Second Council of Constantinople begins 1215 - Rebel Barons renounce their allegiance to King John Events 708 - Copper coins are minted in Japan for the first time (Traditional Japanese date: August 10, 708) Wrington is a Village in North Somerset, England. It lies in the valley of the Congresbury Yeo river about east of Weston-super-Mare Somerset ( or) is a county in south west England The County town is Taunton, which is in the south of the county England is a Country which is part of the United Kingdom. Its inhabitants account for more than 83% of the total UK population whilst its mainland Events 306 - Maxentius is proclaimed Roman Emperor. 312 - Battle of Milvian Bridge: Constantine Year 1704 ( MDCCIV) was a Leap year starting on Tuesday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Essex is a county in the East of England. The County town is Chelmsford, and the highest point of the county is Chrishall Common England is a Country which is part of the United Kingdom. Its inhabitants account for more than 83% of the total UK population whilst its mainland
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