John Locke -Philosophy Essay Essay

The end of truth is not to abolish or restrain, but to deliver and enlarge freedom. For in each the give ins of created beings capable of law, where at that steer is no law, there is no freedom jakes Locke. What I feel that deception Locke is attempting to express in his quote is that society believes that by having laws in place the brass is taking away from the freedom they big to endure. However, by having laws in place it actu wholey helps to oblige their rights to freedom. I chose John Locke as my topic for my lowest paper because I abide taken an lodge in in the flavor he led, his inspirations and his role in politics.John Locke was the first of the classical British empiricists. Empiricists believed that all noesis derives from get down the stairs ones skin. He became highly authoritative to the policy-making world, inspiring government representatives such as doubting doubting Thomas Jefferson, Thomas Paine and James Madison. Locke expressed the radical interpret that government is morally obliged to serve plurality by protecting life, liberty and property (n. a, n. d). He explained the principle of checks and balances in redact to limit the reason of government. He too favored representative government and regularise of law.Locke insisted that when government violates individual rights, the mint bring on a right to rebel. His views on individual rights, life, cheer and politics led Locke to proceed cognise as the 17th century English Philosopher of the enlightenment. John Locke was indispensable August 29, 1632, in Somerset, England. He was the oldest son of Agnes Keene and John Locke. His preceptor was a Puritan lawyer who served as a clerk for safeices of the peace (n. a. , n. d). With the assistance of his fathers connections to the English government, Locke received an exceptional education.In 1647 he enrolled at Westminster School in London, where he earned his distinct honor of being named a Kings Scholar. Thi s was a privilege that went to bond fresh select number of boys and set the path for Locke to check Christ Church, Oxford in 1652 (n. a. , n. d). Christ Church is considered the closely prestigious school in Oxford. During this educational epoch period, Locke engaged in logic and metaphysics. He graduate from Christ Church in 1656 and re glowering two eld later to pursue a Masters of the Arts. This acquirement soon led to Locke taking on tutorial engage at the college.In 1668 Locke was elected a fellow of the Royal Society. The Royal Society is a fellowship of the worlds most tall scientist and is the oldest scientific academy in continuous universe (n. a. ,n. d. ). Locke then went on to account philosophy and medicament at the University of Oxford and graduated in 1674 with a bachelors of medicine. Locke did not want to commit his life to a ghostlike order and therefore turned down a per military manent teaching nonplus from Oxford. This opened the doors to an oppo rtunity serving as a private physician and secretary to Anthony Ashley cooper, the Earl of Shaftesbury (Kermerling, 2011).During the summer of 1666, Anthony Ashley Cooper visited Oxford where he met Locke who was at the time studying medicine. Cooper, who was excruciation from a liver cyst which threatened to establish swollen and infected, requested that Locke be his individualal physician. Locke authoritative and soon moved into a room at the Coopers Exeter House mansion in Westminster, London. Coopers condition worsened and Locke was in a position of opportunity to heal the Earl successfully. In 1668, Locke supervised a successfully surgery and save the life of Anthony Ashley Cooper, the Earl of Shaftesbury.This honorable act led Locke to become a valued partner of Shaftesbury. After Shaftesbury tallness grew, so did Lockes responsibilities. He assisted in the Earls business and governmental matters and after Shaftsbury was make chancellor, Locke became his secretary of pr esentations. Locke was involved in just nearly everything that Shaftsbury did. This include the formation of the Whig party. The Whig party was a policy-making group which consisted of politicians from the States, England and Scotland who opposed King Charles I of England. Locke retained correspondence with the party to assist with influencing Parliamentary elections.Shaftsbury was put behind bars for a year and on his release he helped pass the Habeas Corpus Act in 1679 which make it unlawful for government to detain a person without filing formal charges. The act to a fault contract that an individual could not be put on trial for the same charge more than erstwhile (n. a. ,n. d). Shaftesbury was a strong influence to John Locke and helped surface his way for future success through experience Empiricist. During the reign of King Charles II it was illegal to write, get wind or have books in ones getion that pertained to any negative press against the government. Although it was equivocal, Locke proceed his mission.He wrote about his experience with political actions. matchless treatise attached a claim that the Bible sanctioned tyrants and that p arents had implicit authority over children. A s treatise presented an epic case for liberty and the right of people to rebel against tyrants. He pushed to a radical completion which attacked slavery and a defense of r evolution (n. a. , n. d. ). Locke fled to Rotterdam on September 7, 1683 to avoid legal action (n. a. , n. d. ). The English government tried to have Locke extradited for trial and doable hanging. Lock fled to London and assumed the name Dr. forefront der Linden. He signed letters as Lamy or Dr.Lynne (n. a. ,n. d. ). Locke assumed that the government would intercept mail, so he protected friends by referring to them with numbers or ludicrous names. His excuse to friends for moving to Holland was that he enjoyed the local beer. In Holland, Locke began to release on his philosophical masterpiece, An Essay Concerning serviceman Understanding which urged people to base their convictions on annotation and reason. His argument was that all thought processs, simple or complex, are ultimately derived from experience.He challenged the traditional doctrine that schooling consisted entirely of reading ancient texts and absorbing religious dogmas (n.a. , n. d. ). He maintained that understanding that the world required observation. The essay was published in December 1689, and set up Locke as Englands leading philosopher. In the essay, Locke states the disposition of his proposed doctrine Let us then opine the mind to be, as we say, white paper, void of all characters, without any ideas How comes it to be furnished?Whenced comes it by that colossal store which the busy and boundless fancy of man has painted on it with almost endless pattern? Whence has it all the materials of reason and knowledge? To this I answer, in one word, from experience.In that all our knowledge is founded. (Valasquez, 2011) The book became one of the most widely reprinted and influential works on philosophy. It brought great fame for Locke. So more, that he spent the rest of his life responding to admirers and critics by making revisions in later editions of the book, including detailed accounts of human volition and moral freedom. Locke also published Two Treatise of cultivated Government. These writings were published anonymously in order to avoid controversy. The First Treatise is a detailed rejection of the royalist theories of Robert Filmer.Locke attacked Filmers claim that God sanctioned the absolute power of kings. During this time period, such an attack was risky since it could easily be prosecuted as an attack on the King Charles II. The Second Treatise of Government offers a taxonomic account of the foundations of political obligation. The views expressed within this treatise were so radical that he only released his name as publisher in his will. Lo ckes writings did much to inspire the libertarian ideals of the American Revolution. This, in turn, set an exercising which inspired people throughout Europe, Latin America and Asia.Lockes philosophy had a great frame on Americans as well. Thomas Jefferson ranked Locke as the most important thinkers on liberty. He also helped inspire Thomas Paines radical ideas about revolution. James Madison force most of his fundamental principles of liberty and government from Lockes writings. John Lockes writings were also included in the self-education of Benjamin Franklin. John decades believed that both girls and boys should learn about Locke. Lockes influence even traveled to France where the French philosopher Voltaire called, Locke the man of the greatest wisdom.What he has not seen clearly, I desperation of ever seeing (n. a. , n. d. ). Mathematician and physicist Isaac Newton cherished his company. Locke helped William Penn secure his good name when he was political fugitive, just a s Penn had arranged a pardon for Locke when he had been a political fugitive. Locke was described by the famous English physician Dr. Thomas Sydenham as a man whom, in the acuteness of his intellect, in the resolution of his judgment, in the simplicity, that is, in the excellence of his manners, I confidently declare to have, amongst the men of our time, few tinges and no superiors.(n. a. , n. d. ).It is astonish that Lockes work has affected so umteen people around the world. He was an undistinguished Oxford scholar. He had a brief experience with a failed diplomatic mission. He was a physician who lacked traditional credentials and had only one patient. His first major work was not published until the age of 57. All of this and he is still one of the leading philosophers of all time. In 1691, John Locke is invited to spend his last years with friends Francis and Damaris Masham.Damaris is also a philosopher and is believed to have been romantically involved with Locke during their study years at Oxford. When Locke left for Holland, Damaris was to visit nonetheless it did not work out and she married Francis Masham (Uzgalis, 2012). During his stay with the Mashams Locke tutored their son Francis, here he begins to work on his treaties Thoughts Concerning Education. Lockes health gradually began to worsen. He lost most of his hearing and his legs began to swell. He could tho bring himself to rise from bed. Around 300 in the afternoon, Saturday, October 28, 1704 he passed away (n. a, n. d. ). He was sitting in his study with Lady Marsham.Suddenly, he brought his hands to his face, close down his eyes and died. He was 72 years old. Lockes focus has primarily been based upon the ideas of freedom and par as a whole. He believed that citizens should natively possess the right to life, liberty and happiness, which is portrayed in the organic law of the United States. These undisputable rights or natural rights have derived from the law of nature. The la w of nature is a state that relies purely on the law of God, which is also know as moral law. This law gave people the natural right to life, liberty, and happiness without question.In addition, Locke believed that people also possess the basic right of self-defense if under attack. However, Lockes key aspect of his theories was the basic idea of equality. He said that nobody has the right to rule and that consent is critical because its based on the premises that all people are equal (Uzgalis, 2012). John Locke is still very much known as a political philosopher in nowadayss modern society. Because much of Lockes philosophy centered on subjects such as natural rights and knowledge, he has in-turn shaped American politics in such a way that it has never been the same.Locke has challenged umpteen theories that have to do with inalienable rights as a part of natural law therefore he had much to do with the involvement in the evolution of the American Government. He taught that, men by nature possess certain rights. He had a tremendous influence on all future political thinking. A clear representation of his involvement is portrayed in the declaration of independence. John Locke was, and will ever be remembered as a pioneer in modern thinking.