john locke

(1632 - 1704)
Presented by:
Myra C. Mystica
BS Math 1A
john locke
(1632 - 1704)

Born on 29 August 1632, in

Wrington, Somerset, England

English Philosopher and

Physician
Locke study medicine at Oxford
and planned to be a doctor.
but life changed when he became acquainted with greek
politician, Antony Ashley Cooper

Antony Ashley
Cooper
"First Earl of
Shaftesbury"
 You should come to me
to London, Locke!

He, Cooper, then suggested that Locke move to London to

become part of his household.
 Once he became cooper’s entourage, Locke began to
participate in the great scientific, educational, religious,
and political debates of the day.
his three main ideas/concepts:
- Epistemology
- Religious toleration
- Political philosophy
epistemology
- An empiricist
- An essay Concerning
Human Understanding
(1689)
 He believes that
"no man’s
knowledge here
can go beyond his
experience"
 "Tabula Rasa"
or blank slate
Locke was the first to define the self through a continuity of consciousness, arguing that
the mind was a tabula rasa which means blank slate, which became filled with
knowledge deriving from experience, observation, and experimentation.
"Tabula Rasa"
John Locke believed that people
begin life as a Tabula Rasa, or a
blank slate. He thought that
people's experiences then form
the basis for more complex
rational thought.
 There are just two ways,
says Locke, in which an
idea may be acquired:
through one or other (or
several) of the senses, and
through 'introspection' -
the mind looking at its
own operations
 sources of ideas:
1. Senses 2. Reflection
- sight, taste, - internal sense
touch, etc. - Perception of the
workings of our mind
Religious toleration
- Essay concerning
toleration
(1667)
 "because earthly judges, the state in
particular, and human being in general,
cannot dependably evaluate the truth-
claims of competing religious
standpoints”
“even if they could, enforcing a single
“true religion” would never work,
because you can’t be compelled into
belief through violence”
“coercing religious uniformly leads to far
more social disorder than allowing
diversity”
 political philosophy
"two treatises
concerning
government" (1689)
 political philosophy
rooted in ideas around the social
contract. They also focus on the state of
nature and natural rights