John Locke
English philosopher (1632–1704) whose theories of natural rights, government by consent, and the tabula rasa mind provided the intellectual foundation for modern liberalism and the American Declaration of Independence.
Locke's two most influential contributions are his political philosophy and his epistemology. In his Two Treatises of Government (1689), he argued that individuals possess natural rights to life, liberty, and property, not granted by kings but inherent in human nature. Government is legitimate only when it protects these rights and governs with the consent of the governed. When it fails, the people have the right to revolution.
Thomas Jefferson's Declaration of Independence ('life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness') is almost a direct paraphrase of Locke. The American founding was, in large part, an application of Lockean theory to political practice.
His epistemological work, An Essay Concerning Human Understanding (1689), introduced the tabula rasa, the blank slate. Rejecting Descartes's innate ideas, Locke argued that the mind at birth has no content; all knowledge comes from sensory experience. This was revolutionary: if people are not born with fixed natures, social institutions become responsible for what they become.
Related terms
Frequently asked questions
What were Locke's natural rights? ＋
Life, liberty, and property, rights that exist prior to government, inherent in human nature, that no legitimate government may violate. Government exists to protect these rights, and loses legitimacy when it fails.
What is Locke's tabula rasa? ＋
The idea that the human mind is a blank slate at birth, no innate ideas, no fixed nature. All knowledge comes from sensory experience. This made education and environment central to human development.