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John Locke Essays

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John Locke was one of the most prominent English philosophers and physicians of the 17th century who was born on August 29, 1632, in the town of Wrington, Somerset in England to a puritan family. He was a supporter of natural laws within the government society. He had a significant contribution in the advancement of liberalism due to which he was named as the father of liberalism in philosophy. Also recognized as a profoundly powerful rationalist, expounding on the political way of thinking and education. John Locker’s mother’s name was Agnes keen and his father’s name was also John Locke. His father served as a captain in the military army during an American civil war and he was a lawyer as well. His father’s involvement in law and politics influenced his thinking by birth. He attended Westminster school in London, where he learned to speak Hebrew and Arabic. And after that, he went to one of the biggest universities in Christ Church, the University of Oxford to study medicine, science, and philosophy in 1652. His parent’s thoughts and convictions helped him form his assessments of life and nature. Locke had two other siblings, Thomas Locke and Peter Locke. Locke’s ideas argued with the teachings of many other philosophers on the elements like liberty and power. Although, he grew up in a household of puritans that helped him influence his ideologies and viewpoints on shaping western culture.

Philosophy of John Locke

As stated before that John Locke was a believer in natural laws and individual rights. Locke’s most outstanding thought was that everybody is brought into the world with the same right to life, freedom, and property. His theory on refuting the divine right of kings which denotes the idea that the government is ethically committed to serving individuals (specifically by ensuring life, freedom, and property). He accepted that it was dependent upon humans to rebuff the individuals who conflicted with the law of nature. He enlightened society by exploring his writings in numerous texts. In one of his famous writing called “The Two Treatises of Government”, he shielded the claim that “men are commonly free and equivalent by nature”. He believed every human has natural rights and government may not encroach. Locke stated that the power of government is limited to the public good. He depicts that the responsibility of the government is the “protection of the general public and each individual in it'(Locke, Treatises). For example, if someone from another community interferes and violates another community’s religious beliefs and promotes hatred against that religion, then the government has full authority to intervene and resolve the conflicts in order to secure individual or the community charter rights and freedoms. John Locke likewise promoted religious toleration, with secularism being the one outstanding exception(Broers). Similar beliefs were portrayed in his other textual evidence called “Letter Concerning Toleration” (1689-92).

His theories explored that humans are brought into the world with clear personalities and they learn everything from their personal experiences and ideas, which are recorded into this clear state of mind and stay until we pass on. Locke would be an enormously influential figure who strongly supported that all morality and human behavior are governed under natural law and every human must comply with it. His most of the theories and beliefs were inspired by other famous personalities such as John Rawls and Jean Jacques Rousseau. According to his philosophy in “Tabula Rasa” (also called “Blank Slate” in Latin) morals and ethics are more momentous parts of learning than any other sort of learning. His philosophy states that no human is born with no prior knowledge or morality, everything is fabricated in humans after birth through their senses. For example, he thinks subjects such as math, geography, etc, instructed to children aren’t beneficial at all. Rather than this, they ought to be educated about human conduct and ethical quality. For Locke, education isn’t what you accomplish through books it’s more you accomplish from your ethics, which you can really apply to day-by-day life. His perspective states that education is a “principle of virtues”.

Strengths and weaknesses

John Locke was an illuminated mastermind and researcher, whose discoveries are yet used up in the present time. For example, his ideas on right to life, liberty, and property are considered fundamental rights today. Also, his thoughts on separating powers is utilized in the current-day lawful framework. His one of biggest strengths is that he explored the idea of diversity by giving people a chance to practice and believe in their own religion to maintain harmony, peace, and stability in society.

Locke felt that each and every individual born in this world has the right to own property without the obstruction of government. This theory of John Locke still prevails today and is really appreciated and adopted by society. For example, in the present time, “section 8 states the right to protection from unseizable search and seizure”, which reflects Locke’s opinion that every citizen has full protection against personal and informational search.

Despite the pros, his theories had many cons as well. First, he thinks that a human is sensible enough to predict the sentencing for a crime, which is not justifiable in every situation. For example, it is sufficient to base on laws to benefit society as an entire, yet it gives no direction and guidelines for individuals to settle on moral choices.

John Locke’s views on abortion

In today’s world abortion is known to be a really gigantic issue. As indicated by John Locke, people have a natural right to property and through this, he implies the right to ownership. Locke believed if the pregnancy is unwanted or has complications in which she might have a chance to die, then a woman has the right to proprietorship to secure herself first, without the intercede of the government or some other person. But on the other hand, he is befuddled to a certain extent. He concludes that the natural rights of individuals should be preserved. Aborting a child is no less than a homicide. When a baby is developing inside the womb of the mother, it is being fabricated as a separate individual. On the off chance that an infant can’t talk or respond for itself, it doesn’t imply he has no rights. But yet, it is the responsibility of the parents to preserve their kids since they are not of motivation to secure themselves. Locke conflicted that nothing is less defensive than ending a premature infant.

At last, his speculations infer that regardless of what the circumstance of the mother is, she should bring the baby to the world and let him carry on with his life as she has no control over it. The kid is blameless and has no shortcomings. In the event that the dad or mother committed the error, they should sustain it too.

John Locke’s Views on Civil Disobediance

Personally, as a John Locke, I would definitely support civil disobedience. His theories imply that a man has the right or ability to resolve his disputes and conflicts himself. According to him, everyone has to be treated equally without any discrimination. As already stated, he believed that every individual in this world was born with the same rights and freedoms. And if something biased or unjust law is prevailing in society then humans should fight against it. For example, the Canadian government would imply a law that only whites ought to get the right to vote while all other communities are denied voting privileges. Then John Locke would definitely battle against these unjust laws and would support other communities to achieve their fundamental rights. Since he accepts everyone is a part of a nation and everyone should get a fair chance to choose a government of their choice. Nobody should be denied their basic fundamental rights. The comparable idea also prevailed in the movie Selma, where the black community marched in a civil disobediance movement to attain basic equal voting rights. If John Locke was present there during that time when black Americans were denied voting rights, he would surely have protested and done likewise. This concludes, that it was up to the people to punish or overthrow the government that went against their society’s needs.

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John Locke: A Contradictory Philosophical Thinker

John Locke, arguably one of the most influential contemporary figures to shape the modern western world, but also, arguably one of the most contradictory. Within his work, Second Treatise of Government, Locke explores numerous political concepts such as the idea that as members of society, we consent to have a government and we consent to our government taking some of our freedoms in exchange for the protection of life, liberty, and property. In addition, Locke also explores other concepts such...
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States Of Human Nature: Pico De Mirandola, Thomas Hobbes, Jean-Jacques Rousseau And John Locke

In this day and age, people are living one of the most depressing and demoralizing fragment of the 21st century. Because of this dark and difficult time, it’s crucial to understand why we are looking through the prism of pessimism and that’s exactly why this essay has place to be. Philosophers like Pico de Mirandola, Hobbes, Locke and Rousseau were all studying humankind and its origins for years, but they had their own particular visions on this topic. In the...
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The Second Treatise Of Government By John Locke And The Republic By Plato

The Second Treatise of Government by John Locke and The Republic by Plato is historically significant philosophical and political theorists’ figures. John Locke greatly influenced the American Constitution based on ideas on liberal government. Plato expanded the ideas of his teacher Socrates and argued for justice and equality in a state system. Though these two theorists hold valuable ideas, they contain contrasting perspectives on how a government or city should be ruled and governed. While Locke believes that money/property is...
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Hobbes Versus Locke: Essay

Compare and contrast Thomas Hobbes’s and John Locke`s state of nature. Thomas Hobbes (1588-1679) was an English political philosopher who wrote in the 17th century and was compelled to flee to France for eight years as a result of the dominance of civil war at the time. John Locke (1632-1704), on the other hand, was an English political philosopher and physician who was regarded as one of the greatest philosophers of the modern period. Hobbes and Locke utilized the state...
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Locke And Rousseau's Ideas On Society And Politics

John Locke and Jean-Jacques Rousseau have very opposite ideals as to how society and politics could best be run. While Locke believes in the state of nature, Rousseau thinks that general will is best. I will explain the differences between Locke and Rousseau’s ideas and argue that both have valid and invalid points to make a society work. John Locke has an ideal that justice is in terms of the state of nature. In his writings he addresses that political...
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John Locke Human Nature

Introduction John Locke was born in 29 August 1632 and died in 28 October 1704. His era was the 17th century, era of early modern philosophy. He was an English philosopher and physician, and known as the Father of Liberalism. He was known as first British empiricists, he followed the tradition of “Sir Francis Bacon”. he is equally important to social contract theory. His main interest was in Metaphysics, epistemology, political philosophy, philosophy of mind, philosophy of education and in...
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Locke And Hobbes: The Political Theory Of Society

English philosophers Thomas Hobbes (1588-1679) and John Locke (1632-1704) have both made large contributions to develop the political thoughts of society. Before we dive into each of their ideas, we need to be aware of the contexts from which they arose. Their vastly different individual circumstances have helped define striking distinctions in personal outlook. As such, this essay will first explore the historical context in which the different philosophers’ works were constructed and move on to consider the differences in...
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The Nature Of Humanity By John Locke

The debate over the base nature of humanity has lasted centuries, creating many theories and counterpoints to those theories, yet none have been definitively established as the correct essence of humanity in a state of nature nor has a correct reason been pinpointed for why humanity decides to enter into social contracts. Are humans predisposed to violence and it is only for our benefit that we give up our freedom to preserve our own lives? Or is our nature closer...
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Essay on Personal Identity: Views of John Locke and David Hume

There are very distinct opinions between philosophers John Locke, an English philosopher, and David Hume, a Scottish empiricist and skeptic philosopher when it comes down to the topic of personal identity. Both, Locke and Hume, give many reasons for their beliefs, which help support their positions. While both provide their reasonings for their beliefs, one does seem to be a bit more convincing in their argument than the other. It is important to understand both philosophers’ points of view regarding...
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Analytical Essay on Locke's Natural Law Theory

to suggest that Locke gets half the story right on the issue of tolerance. The arguments for and against tolerance are based on the beliefs and opinions of the citizens who are supposed to live within these regulations. In the case of toleration however, not only did Locke himself reject divisive scriptural interpretations but, because of their fair discord, he argued that they had no place in public debates. In the event of intolerance, he calls for the broadest and...
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John Locke Versus Socrates in Ideas Concerning Just Society: Analytical Essay

In John Locke’s book The Second Treatise of Government, he expresses the importance of property rights in regard to its reflexiveness toward labor. With property rights, others are able to own different things with full ownership and use it towards their own advantage however they would like. Thereby, Locke demonstrates that labor demonstrates the legitimacy of one’s possessions even if the Earth is held by the commons. On the other hand, Socrates would disagree with Locke’s idea of the importance...
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Father of Liberalism: John Locke

1. John Locke: The Father of Liberalism English philosopher John Locke’s works are considered the foundation of modern philosophical empiricism, political liberalism, and the early age of enlightenment. Locke’s ideas were used as the basis for the revolution of the English colonies in North America. It is posited that philosophy is often a reflection of personal disposition and life circumstances. Locke was deeply involved in the political affairs of his country which no doubt influenced his philosophical work. John Locke...
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John Locke's Contribution To Justice System

When reading on who might be the one person who had made the biggest contribution to how law and justice are seen today, I chose John Locke. John Locke is one of the most influential philosophers of our modern time (Tuckerness, 2016). John Locke was an English Philosopher, whose contributions to law and justice and the government changed the modern era for the better. The events and time when he was growing, really shaped the way he thought, and the...
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Locke’s Empiricism And The Human Senses

The age old debate of whether or not human beings are born with innate knowledge or if all knowledge is gathered through experience, found in Rene Descartes’ Meditations on First Philosophy and John Locke’s An Essay Concerning Human Understanding, has raged on for as long as man has thought to question his own existence. As these two papers battle over the reliability of the senses, the purpose of this paper is to demonstrate the correctness of John Locke’s proposition that...
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Locke Defence For A Right To Private Property And The Unlimited Accumulation Of Goods

John Locke was an English philosopher and physician widely regarded as one of the most influential of Enlightenment thinkers, commonly known as the ‘Father of Liberalism’. Locke’s most famous 123 work ‘Second Treatise’, sets out a liberal premise of a community of free, equal individuals, all possessed of natural rights. Since these individuals will want to acquire goods and will come into inevitable conflict, he invokes a natural law of morality to govern them before they enter into society. There...
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John Locke's Idea Of Tabula Rasa

Nature vs. nurture is an age old debate dating back to the 1800’s. There have been hundreds of psychologists, scientists, religious leaders and even ordinary people who argue their view on the subject. John Locke was one of these people, a renowned British philosopher, who is best known for his use of the phrase of “tabula rasa.” His belief, that the mind at birth is a blank slate on which experience writes on, helped in forming the idea now known...
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Strengths And Weaknesses Of Viewpoint Of John Locke

John Locke was born on August 22, 1632, in Wrington, Somerset, a small village in England. Locke grew up with both parents Puritans and as such, he was raised that way. His religion believed that everyone was born into a state of nature and that everyone had the right to pursue happiness. His father’s connections and allegiance to the English government allowed Locke to receive an impeccable education. Throughout his childhood, he was homeschooled. He then had the opportunity to...
6 Pages 2681 Words

John Locke: Influence On American Government

A nation where the government works for the people, where the people can rebel against the government if it’s not protecting their rights, where because we’re all equal, we all have the right to life, liberty, and property, with the separation of the church and government with no monarchy because how valid is it really that someone gets to be born into power? What kind of idea is that? One that you need to lock down, by John Locke. John...
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A Comparative Analysis of the American and British Bills of Rights

Natural rights are allowed to all people that can’t be denied or confined by any authority or person. Regular rights are usually supposed to be granted to individuals by ‘Natural law.’ In creating the laws, Jefferson followed the system of the English Declaration of rights, after the ‘Glorious Revolution’, 1689. Most researchers today conclude that Jefferson was inspired to write the Declaration of Independence from the works of John Locke. Locke composed that all people are equal as they are...
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Bookends Of Enlightenment: John Locke And Olaudah Equiano

In the seventeenth century, The Scientific Revolution brought light to people challenging previous ideas and thinking freely on the ideas of science. This was a new concept, as previously, the world ran on tradition, and authority was never to be questioned. However, this new idea of thinking freely inspired men everywhere to think for themselves and share new ideas. Soon, there was an eruption of a philosophical, social, and intellectual movement, during which, thinkers began to question old system of...
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Comparative Analysis of John Locke and Mary Wollstonecraft

Introduction The researcher has done extensive research on the topic “Comparative Analysis of John Locke ” with special focus on the views shared by John Locke and Mary Wollstonecraft. The main objective of this entire project is to analyse the views hold by both of the profound philosophers. The research methodology used in this project is Doctrinal Research which includes variety of sources for effective and exhaustive research. Various offline and online sources were used , the offline resources include...
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The Significance Of Tolerance In Solving Civil War: Based On Locke’s Theory

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