Revolutionary Thinkers – A Discussion in Character
(Answer these using bullet points or brief notes and be prepared to use them in your
discussion)
Who was your character and what were they known for?
John Locke
- He believed in Natural rights; all humans are born free and equal, with three natural
rights – life, liberty, and property.
- He is also known for empiricism and epistemology. He held strong disagreement
against that humans can learn truths of the earth through rational reasons (speculative), he
believed only through experiences and reflections humans can learn something; the
recognition of the world. Moreover, through reflections and experiences, he believed we
learn knowledge through sensation (perception through sight, hearing, touch, smell, and
taste). Therefore, he did not think his task was to learn knowledge, but to understand
process of learning knowledge; epistemology. So he questioned the origin and range of
human’s knowledge.
- Locke believed that a government’s power comes from the people, not from God. Thus
Locke provided a strong argument against the divine rights of kings. Locke’s idea about
self-government inspired people and became cornerstones of modern democratic thought.
- Locke believed in deism, though he was a Christian. Therefore, he believed existence of
God do not have the idea of “universal assent” because humans do not have innate
knowledge of God’s existence. He claimed that the only innate knowledge inside a
person is that of one’s own existence, “cognitive” (knowing) being. Moreover, he
believed human knowledge comes from sensation and through reflection.
Clearly explain several ways in which your character "saw" things differently than other
characters.
In doing so, you might refer to their thoughts using the following categories (Don’t do
them all at once; take turns offering ideas in each category):
o Ontology / concepts of human nature
o Epistemology / concepts of knowing including how and why we know and what
is truth. Views of how reality is to be explained and what methods are best suited
to these observations.
o Cosmology / theory or model of how the above concepts explain our reality in
time and space
o Social organization
o Political order and organization (include issues of legitimate leadership, justice,
and rights)
o Other information that aided or broadened our understanding of the importance of
these ideas today.

Locke held different ideas from Hobbes, while Hobbes had negative thinking
about human beings, and believed in absolute monarchy; Locke believed people
have natural rights of life, liberty and property. Moreover, people have rights to
rebel against government if they failed to protect their rights.

He believed in empiricism rather than rationalism; he believed only through
experiences and reflections humans can learn something; the recognition of the
world. He believed from sensation and reflection the mind receives “ideas”,
which are the material of knowledge. Some ideas are actual qualities of objects
(size, shape, weight, etc), primary, and others are the ones do not exist in objects
except, but affect observers (color, taste, smell), secondary. Moreover, he
believed simple ideas compound to form complex ideas.

Locke stated that every human being born with certain knowledge and principles
that help us to become part of society. And through our life, experiences,
sensation and reflections of the world around us we build up complex ideas, and
learn about the world, reality, and society.

Locke’s epistemology is more about mental rather than rational reasons. His idea
of epistemology was about what is in the mind, however, it was criticized because
it is hard to distinguish between true or false, imaginary or impressed sensations
and expressed concepts. He puts experience, or ideas of sensation and reflection,
firmly at the basis of human understanding.

In his idea of Social Contract was although people have rights, they also have to
give up one right, the right to judge and punish other persons. Locke thought,
everyone has right of freedom of thought, speech, and worship, but they also have
to give up some power to the government. They have to trust their government,
which is the trustee of the people’s power and serve for people. However, if they
government abuse their power, people have rights to rebel against.

Locke’s famous work, Two Treatises of Government, justified for the English
overthrowing their leader who failed to protect people’s rights. By Locke’s great
book, it became the justification for the American Revolution and the French
Revolution. They started to declare their independence based on Locke’s ideas of
the natural rights, and Social Contract. He had huge influence over most of
Western countries.

Locke held Isaac Newton in high regard. Newton’s reductionism (the belief that
complicated things can be explained by considering them as a combination of
simple parts) and corpuscular view of the world had a direct impact on Locke’s
theory of the mind. Newton believed the world is composed of basic particles,
which he called corpuscles. The force of gravity held these corpuscles together.
Likewise, Locke saw the mind as made up of basic constituents. Simple ideas are
the basic components. The force of association combines simple ideas to form
complex ideas. Locke was the first person to posit this Newtonian-influenced
theory of the mind.
What was the impact of these ideas then and how have they influenced the way we see
things now?
He had great influence mostly on Western countries. Locke’s ideas of natural laws and
Social Contract became the basis of modern democratic thought; his ideas that people
have natural rights of property, liberty and life, and government is created by the people
to protect their rights Therefore, his ideas encouraged Americans and French to rebel
against their leaders who failed to protect their rights, and to place in new hands. So
nowadays, people consider government’s role is to protect citizens’ rights as very
obvious and natural things, so whenever their leaders fail to lead the countries correctly,
the citizens arouse, protest and sometimes even cause revolution. Moreover, people
consider Locke’s idea of natural rights natural rights as their nature and must have rights,
so that everyone respects each other’s natural rights. Moreover, Locke’s idea of
empiricism had great influence and strong disagreement against Descartes ideas of
rationalism. Whenever people face failures or difficulties, they don’t give up, they know
they learn through experiences and reflections so that from their failures they learn how
to improve themselves, and eventually reach the goals they wanted to accomplish.
There’re a lot of quotes about that failure teaches success. His great ideas have changed
our perspectives of government, natural rights, and empiricism.
How were their ideas different from established ideas of the day?
Locke believed everyone learns through experience and reflections, not by their
innate knowledge or ideas. He believed that all knowledge is sense experience and
reflection, while Descartes strongly believed in rationalism, speculative ideas, which are
not based on experiences but with objective perspective and rational reasons.
Moreover, Locke held different point of view from Hobbes. Locke believed that
the original state of nature was happy and characterized by reason and tolerance, however,
Hobbes believed people are naturally ambitious and selfish. Although they had different
ideas of Social Contract, still in some points they contained democratic concepts. Hobbes
believed in Social Contract that people submitted to an authoritarian ruler to prevent
disorder. Even if Hobbes believed in absolute monarchy, his meaning of absolute
monarchy was more of democratic who leads his people correctly and equally. However,
Locke held the idea that government is created by people to protect people’s rights, so
people have rights to rebel against the government if they fail to protect them, it is
absolute democratic ideas.
.
How or why did time and place bias your character’s ideas or another’s responses to their
ideas?
While the absolute monarch and corrupted power were rotted in that period, people were
oppressed by power and they needed revolution, some kind of new and reasonable ideas
to rescue them out of it. Therefore, Locke’s idea of natural rights and Social Contract
encouraged and changed many perspectives of people. So the people who were under
control of dictators and monarchs, they started to rebel against them, and gain
independence; they were supported by the Locke’s idea of natural rights of life, liberty,
and property, and his idea of Social Contract that government is created by people to
protect people’s rights. Moreover, his idea of empiricism against Descartes’ rationalism
was pretty sensation because he came up with totally different ideas. His idea of learning
the world recognition through experiences and reflections changed people’s perspectives
and were correct and make sense so that’s why Locke’s ideas were biased in that period
of time.
Would any one of these thinkers be considered the most significant? Why?
I would consider Descartes as most significant thinker to John Locke because his idea of
rationalism had greatly influenced Locke, due to the reason Locke really liked Descartes
and studied about him a lot, Locke could come up with the idea that totally contradict to
Descartes’.
What present day revolutions in thinking (social, political or scientific) are taking place?
Would your thinker support these ideas?
There are many social and political revolutions going around this word. The one I think
can relate Locke’s ideas with are revolution going on in Tibet, and revolution in Burma.
Revolution in Tibet is Tibet declared independence from China, and Burma’s revolution
is about citizens fighting against government to seek for democratic government. Burma
Revolution has been taken place for pretty long time, about 13 years. However, the strong
and corrupted military dictatorship government is oppressing citizens and all the protests.
This is the time that Locke’s ideas of people have rights to rebel against and replace the
government if they fail to protect citizens’ rights. Government is created by people to
protect their rights, but Burma’s government is abusing the power and harshly ignoring
the citizens’ requirements and protests. Moreover, revolution in Tibet, they desire
independence of their own from China, just like American and French Revolution that
greatly influenced by John Locke’s idea. I believe not only these two revolutions, but
further more political and social revolutions happening around the globe right now,
should apply Locke’s ideas of people have natural rights of life, liberty, and property, and
right of replace the government if they don’t protect people’s rights for equality of all
humans.
Provide a summary of why your thinker is considered revolutionary.
I strongly believe Locke is a absolute revolutionary because he came up with the new
fresh ideas in that period of time that have totally changed people’s perspectives and
caused sensational revolutions. His famous and influential ideas were natural rights that
people born with rights of liberty, life, and property, and his ideas of Social Contract that
government is created by people to protect people’s rights, and if the government fail to
protect people’s rights, people have rights to rebel against it, and replace the leadership.
Moreover, his idea of empiricism and epistemology that were opposing to Descartes’
famous ideas of rationalism in that period of time led to huge change in people’s
perspectives even in nowadays. Locke’s ideas of natural rights and Social Contract had
helped many revolutions to occur, such as American Revolution and French Revolution.
His democratic ideas encouraged people oppressed by power to arise and built
democratic government for equality of human beings. Further more, his such ideas can
still apply to revolutions going on around the world nowadays. His democratic ideas had
built basis for modern democratic thoughts. Moreover, his idea of empiricism that people
learn through experiences and reflections rather than rational reasoning have greatly
changed our perspectives right now. Everyone knows we learn from our experiences or
reflections; we are all aware of that we learn from failure sometimes, and we learn from
meeting a lot of new people, we learn from the process of reaching our goals, and more,
it’s all about experiences and reflections. Locke’s ideas of political, social or
epistemological have greatly influenced upon our lives. His ideas became nature for us,
his ideas unconsciously applied upon our daily lives, government, and the whole world
naturally. I believe his ideas will be still applied further more in the future; people will
develop better democracy based on his ideas. Therefore, I strongly believe and support
that Father of Democracy, John Locke is a absolute revolutionary in that period of time,
and right now.