John Locke
John Locke was one of the most influential thinkers in history. His political theory influenced the American and French Constitutions. John Locke was born in Bristol, England, on August 29, 1632. His father was a "country lawyer" and a captain in the Parliamentary Army during the Civil War. He wanted his son to become a minister, but Locke rejected this and studied medicine. Locke entered Oxford University in England and was influenced by John Owen, Dean of Christ Church College. It was Owen who first introduced Locke to the idea of religious freedom and the idea that people should not be punished for having different views of religion. Locke believed that all sides had the right to be heard. Moreover, he felts that all conflicts could be solved if the two groups could settle their differences by seeking a middle ground and compromise.
Locke remained a Puritan his entire life. He expressed his views about freedom of religion and the rights of citizens. During his exile,Locke had been busy writing and studying philosophy. In 1682 the English government saw his ideas as a challenge to the King's authority. Locke adopted a life style that allowed him to compile his works and make them ready for the press (Nussbaum, 2002). Throughout his writings, Locke argued that people had the gift of reason, or the ability to think. He rejected the "Divine Right," which many kings and queens used to justify their right to rule.
Locke's Views on Human Nature
The elementary question to be asked by all philosophers is, what is the nature and ultimate significance of the universe. As things developed in philosophy, three camps emerged: idealists, dualists and materialists.
Dualism is the belief - that reality, subsists, both in thought and in matter. To Dualists, certain ideas are innate, held independent of experience, such as, for example, the existence of God.
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