John Locke
Locke, John 1632–1704, English philosopher, founder of British empiricism. Locke summed
up the Enlightenment in his belief in the middle class and its right to freedom of conscience
and right to property, in his faith in science, and in his confidence in the goodness of
humanity. His influence upon philosophy and political theory has been incalculable.
Life and Work
Educated at Christ Church College, Oxford, he became (1660) a lecturer there in Greek,
rhetoric, and philosophy. He studied medicine, and his acquaintance with scientific practice
had a strong influence upon his philosophical thought and method. In 1666, Locke met
Anthony Ashley Cooper, the future 1st earl of Shaftesbury, and soon became his friend,
physician, and adviser. After 1667, Locke had minor diplomatic and civil posts, most of them
through Shaftesbury. In 1675, after Shaftesbury had lost his offices, Locke left England for
France, where he met French leaders in science and philosophy.
Returning to England in 1679, he soon retired to Oxford, where he stayed quietly until,
suspected of radicalism by the government, he went to Holland and remained there several
years (1683–89). In Holland he completed the famous Essay Concerning Human
Understanding (1690), which was published in complete form after his return to England at
the accession of William and Mary to the English throne. In the same year he published his
Two Treatises on Civil Government; part of this work justifies the Glorious Revolution of
1688, but much of it was written earlier. His fame increased, and he became known in
England and on the Continent as the leading philosopher of freedom.
Philosophy
In the Essay Concerning Human Understanding Locke examines the nature of the human
mind and the process by which it knows the world. Repudiating the traditional doctrine of
innate ideas, Locke believed that the mind is born blank, a tabula rasa upon which the world
describes itself through the experience of the five senses. Knowledge arising from sensation
is perfected by reflection, thus enabling humans to arrive at such ideas as space, time, and
infinity.
Locke distinguished the primary qualities of things (e.g., solidity, extension, number) from
their secondary qualities (e.g., color, sound). These latter qualities he held to be produced by
the impact of the world on the sense organs. Behind this curtain of sensation the world itself
is colorless and silent. Science is possible, Locke maintained, because the primary world
affects the sense organs mechanically, thus producing ideas that faithfully represent reality.
The clear, common-sense style of the Essay concealed many unexplored assumptions that the
later empiricists George Berkeley and David Hume would contest, but the problems that
Locke set forth have occupied philosophy in one way or another ever since.
Political Theory
Locke is most renowned for his political theory. Contradicting Thomas Hobbes, Locke
believed that the original state of nature was happy and characterized by reason and
tolerance. In that state all people were equal and independent, and none had a right to harm
another's “life, health, liberty, or possessions.” The state was formed by social contract
because in the state of nature each was his own judge, and there was no protection against
those who lived outside the law of nature. The state should be guided by natural law.
Rights of property are very important, because each person has a right to the product of his or
her labor. Locke forecast the labor theory of value. The policy of governmental checks and
balances, as delineated in the Constitution of the United States, was set down by Locke, as
was the doctrine that revolution in some circumstances is not only a right but an obligation.
At Shaftesbury's behest, he contributed to the Fundamental Constitutions for the Carolinas;
the colony's proprietors, however, never implemented the document.
Ethical Theory
Locke based his ethical theories upon belief in the natural goodness of humanity. The
inevitable pursuit of happiness and pleasure, when conducted rationally, leads to cooperation,
and in the long run private happiness and the general welfare coincide. Immediate pleasures
must give way to a prudent regard for ultimate good, including reward in the afterlife. He
argued for broad religious freedom in three separate essays on toleration but accepted
atheism and Roman Catholicism, which he felt should be legislated against as inimical to
religion and the state. In his essay The Reasonableness of Christianity (1695), he emphasized
the ethical aspect of Christianity against dogma.
1. What was John Locke’s first job in 1660?
2. Where did Locke go into exile from 1683-1689 and what were two things he wrote in
1690?
3. What does Locke mean when he says humans are born “blank”?
4. According to Locke, what was the original state of nature (government)?
5. According to Locke, people cannot violate others’ what (4 words)?
6. What should the state be guided by?
7. What did Locke think of revolutions?
8. What did Locke think about religion?
1. A lecturer
2. Holland, Essay Concerning Human Understanding and Two Treatises on Civil
Government
3. Knowledge arising from sensation is perfected by reflection, thus enabling
humans to arrive at such ideas as space, time, and infinity.
4. Happy, reason and tolerance
5. life, health, liberty, or possessions
6. Natural law
7. Sometimes they are an obligation
8. There should be freedom of religion, but try to avoid a connection between church
and state
Create a Government
Directions: Your job is to create a government. In groups, you must make decisions on
ALL of the issues listed below. Then you will write down your ideas on large paper and
share your ideas with the class.
-What is the name of your country?
-Will you have a capital? Where in your country would you place the capital?
-What will your rules be on religion?
-What kind of leaders will you have? Will they be elected? How long will they
serve for?
-Who can vote? Any requirements to vote?
-What kind of education will you offer for your citizens?
-Will you offer any insurance? If so, what kind?
-How about taxes? What will you tax? How much will you tax?
-What will you spend tax money on? Be specific (use percentages).
-What kind of judicial system will you have? In other words, how will you
punish criminals?
-How will you go about creating a military?
-How will your government respond to natural disasters (hurricanes, earthquakes,
etc.)?
***As usual, please make sure everything is appropriate. Also, you want to be
reasonable so your government is not overthrown by the angry masses!***