John Locke

By: Daniel Miller

 Overview
• Lived from 1632 to 1704
• British Philosopher
• Shortly was an official
• Was in charge of
collecting information
about trade and colonies
for England
• Was a direct consultant
for Lord Ashley of
England
 Early Life
• Was born in a Puritan Family
(1632)
• Attended the Christ Church at
Oxford, was going to become a
doctor
• In 1667 Lord Ashley from
London came to Oxford and
befriended Locke
• Met by chance (liver infection)
• Locke went back to London to
become Ashley’s personal
physician
• Found himself the central
advisor of England in the
1670’s and 80’s
Lord Ashley
 Political Involvement
• Helped Lord Ashley in collecting trade and colony
information to help his economy in the Carolinas
• Lord Ashley kept falling in and out of power
• Charles II and James, Duke of York, were political
opponents to Ashley
• Fled to Netherlands in 1683, due to the Rye House Plot,
which was the conspiracy to murder Charles II and
James
• Little evidence shows that Locke had anything to do
with it, and more evidence shows that much of it was
fabricated by Charles II to exile his political opponents
 Famous Works
• Had many books of
philosophy published
including…
– A Letter Concerning
Toleration (2nd) & (3rd)
– Two Treasties of
Governments
– An Essay Concerning
Human Understanding
– Some Thoughts
Concerning Education
 Political Ideas
• Completely contradicted
Thomas Hobbes
• Believed that the natural law
wa the right to “life, liberty, and
property”
• Believed that the submission of
a people to be under rule,
required a social contract which
is bond by the natural law
• And that the ruler was there to
serve the people directly
• Also first thought up of the idea
of checks and balances
• Also believed that rebellion was
not only a right of the people,
but an obligation
 Political Ideas
• Property helped shape his philosophies
• He believed that if one incorporated an object
with their labor, then the object would become
his property
• New idea, because its placed more power on the
individual and took less away from the ruler

“The reason why men enter into society is the preservation of

their property.”
John Locke
 Influence
• A major philosopher who jump started the
Enlightenment Period and liberalism
• Many political ideas of his were taken into The
United States
• His works deconstructed the ideas of
absolutionism and put more power on the
governed

“All mankind... being all equal and independent, no one

ought to harm another in his life, health, liberty or
possessions.”
John Locke
 Works Cited
• Anonymous. "John Locke (1632-1704)." The Internet Encyclopedia
of Philosophy. 2006. 17 Apr. 2006
<http://www.iep.utm.edu/l/locke.htm>.

• Anonynous. "John Locke." Wikipedia: the Free Encyclopedia. 20

Apr. 2006. 16 Apr. 2006 <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Locke>.
•
• Audi, Robert, ed. "John Locke." The Cambridge Dictionary of
Philosophy. 1st ed. 1 vols. New York: Cambridge UP, 1995.

• Clapp, James G. "Locke, John." The Encyclopedia of Philosophy.

3rd ed. 4 vols. New York: Macmillan Co., 1972.

• Uzgalis, William. "John Locke." Stanford Encyclopedia of

Philosophy. 2001. Stanford U. 17 Apr. 2006
<plato.stanford.edu/entries/locke/>.