The Views of Locke Essay - 733 Words

The Views of Locke The life-blood of philosophy is argument and counter-argument. Plato and Aristotle thought of this as what they called dialectic discussion. D. W. Hamlyn JOHN LOCKE (1632-1704) Locke was the first of the British empiricists who held that our concepts and our knowledge are based on experience. He forms his system of knowledge with empiricist idioms, namely: all knowledge comes to us through experience. No mans knowledge here can go beyond his experience. There is no such thing as innate ideas; there is no such thing as moral precepts; we are born with an empty mind, with a soft tablet ready to be written upon by experimental impressions. Locke was a believer in God; he accepted the cosmological argument†¦show more content†¦Filmer claimed that God gave Adam dominion over the earth and all other creatures; Locke that God gave the earth to Adam and all his descendants, who were all entitled to a share in its bounty, providing they earned their bread by the sweat of their brows and laboured to make the world even more fruitful. The basis for understanding Locke is that he sees all people as having natural God given rights. As Gods creations, this denotes a certain equality, at least in an abstract sense. This religious back drop acts as the foundation for all of Lockes theories, including his theories of individuality, private property, and the state. He believed that humans were autonomous individuals who, although lived in a social setting, could not be articulated as a herd or social animal. Locke believed a person to stand for, #8230; a thinking, intelligent being, that has reason and reflection, and can consider itself as itself, the same thinking thing in different times and places, which it only does by that consciousness which is inseparable from thinking. This ability to reflect, think, and reason intelligibly is one of the many gifts from God and is that gift which separates us from the realm of the beast. The ability to reason and reflect acts as an explanation for individuality. All reaso n and reflection is based on personal experience and reference. In the state of nature, man has a natural liberty #8230; to order their actions and disposeShow MoreRelatedViews of Hobbes, Locke and Rousseau815 Words   |  4 PagesArden Bentley AP Euro 3/9/13 Thomas Hobbes, John Locke and Jean-Racques Rosseau were philosophers who stated their belief of human nature and how we should govern mankind. Although Rousseau was born a different time than Hobbes and Locke, they all had a very strong influence on the way governments should function. They created a revolutionary idea of the state of nature, the way men were before a government came into play. Each philosopher developed guidelines and responsibilities that the governmentRead MoreThe Views Of Locke And Godwin On The Origin Of Government1680 Words   |  7 Pagessprung up some influential political thinkers. John Locke is the forefather of liberty while William Godwin was one of the proponent of anarchism, and both of them are great English philosopher after the enlightenment who take significant influence on successors. This essay will focus on the views of Locke and Godwin on the origin and purpose of government, the extent of authority, as well as some opinions according to thei r flaws. The views of Locke and Godwin on the origin of government are differentRead MoreJohn Locke s Views On Education879 Words   |  4 PagesJohn Locke was a philosopher, doctor and political theorists of the 17th century. He was one of the founders of the school of thought known as British Empiricism. Mr. Locke made foundational contributions to modern theories of limited, liberal government. He was also influential in the areas of theology, religious toleration, and educational theory. During his services at Shaftesbury, John Locke had been writing. He published all of his most significant works within six years of following his returnRead MoreJohn Locke s View On Identity963 Words   |  4 PagesHow is John Locke acknowledged in society? Rene Descartes became accredited by what? Well, people knew these men for their philosophical views, their views on identity varied undoubtedly. For example, Descartes famous line I think, therefore I am alludes to the fact that he most certainly exists. On the other hand, Locke believes that if you committed a crime, but cannot recall your actions, then you should not serve time for your crime. Hence, Descartes perspective of identity contains the selfRead MoreEssay about Lockes Views On Education610 Words   |  3 Pages John Locke had a number of major influences on society in general, but his influences on education have stood the taste of time. His idea of Tabula Rasa, his introduction of empiricism, and idea of the use o f all senses are all objectives that are used in schools today. nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;The idea of Tabula Rasa is basically defined as a â€Å"blank slate.† Locke believed that everyone is born with a clean mind, a supposed condition that he attributed to the human mind before ideas have beenRead MoreJohn Locke And Locke s Views On Nature Nurture1629 Words   |  7 PagesGreek philosopher, Aristotle debated that nothing comes in the mind through the senses of the external world. Later in the 1600’s, there were new rivals for the nature-nurture issue which were John Locke and Rene Descartes. Locke didn’t follow through Plato’s whole â€Å"inborn† hypothesis, however, Locke suggests that the mind starts off undeveloped and figures out on it own by experience. Descartes on the other hand, disagreed to Locke’s concept. Unlike John Locke’s disagreement to Plato, DescartesRead MoreJohn Locke s Views On Human Nature1602 Words   |  7 Pages James Madison and John Locke each created similar but somewh at different ideas about human nature. Whereas John Locke put more hope in human nature, Madison looked down on it with more critical analysis. Locke’s argument may provide few important points in general, but it is Madison who ultimately explained why people work in the specific way we see today and produce the government we enjoy. In fact, some of Locke’s arguments can be tied to Madison’s philosophy and be seen as useful explanationsRead MoreJohn Locke s Views On Government And Democracy1626 Words   |  7 Pagesthis study are John Locke and J.S. Mills. These 2 theorists support democracy, and the rights of people to have a say in their government. They have shared their views on how a democratic government should operate and have influenced many other theorists and entire governments with their views governments as knows as the United states of America have been impacted and shaped on the views of these theorists. This research also aims to compare and cont rasts the views of John Locke and J.S Mills, therebyRead MoreJohn Locke s Views On Human Nature Essay811 Words   |  4 Pagesitself, only a single ruler or an absolute monarch had the power or omnipotent vision to sufficiently rule a civilization. Whereas Locke saw a civilization that can be ruled in a democracy and every individual had a say in how the civilization can be ruled. Moreover, Hobbes’ outlook on human nature was generally bleak, most of his ideas were derived from the basis that all humans were, in fact, evil and that given the opportunity, a person would act on his or her own behalf before tending to theRead MoreLocke vs. Marx: Views on Property Rights1466 Words   |  6 PagesJohn Locke and Karl Marx, two of the most renowned political philosophers, had many contrasting views when it came the field of political philosophy. Most notably, private property rights ranked high among the plethora of disparities between these two individuals. The main issue at hand was whether or not private property was a natural right. Locke firmly believed that private property was an inherent right, whereas Marx argued otherwise. This essay will examine the views of both Locke and Marx on