What were some of John Locke's ideas?
1. Ideas of substance, representing a constant or stable collection of simple ideas related to a mysterious substratum which is their unifying center; 2. Ideas of mode, resulting from the combination by the intellect of several ideas, in such a manner as to form not a thing in itself but a property or mode of an existing thing -- for example, a triangle, gratitude; 3. Ideas of relationship, arising from the comparison of one idea with another, such as temporal and spatial relationships, or the relationship of cause. In addition to complex ideas, there are also general ideas, which result from the isolation of a simple idea from a complex one -- for example, whiteness -- and from the universalization of the idea in so far as it represents the characteristics common to several similar sensations. General ideas hence are abstract ideas, and are useful for signifying a collection of common sensations
Why was Locke's belief that gov't exisits to serve the people such a radical idea?
English philosopher J. Locke had developed two, key concepts that would play a major role in the Enlightenment. Those concepts were the Natural Rights and the Social Contract. What could be the Natural Rights, rights that you hold by nature? It is very simple; they were those that belonged to every human being by birth as for instance, liberty or freedom and they were inaliable (meaning you could not refuse them or the government cannot deprive you of them). The Social Contract was the agreement of an individual to accept the laws in order to protect his or her Natural Rights in society. Locke’s example; society had to protect the weak people that the strong people could enslave. As a consequence, the laws had to be approved by a legislative power representing the people. Social Contract is important because you decided to delegate part of your freedom that the law was legitimate; the law imposed without people accepting it was deemed illegitimate. John Locke (1632-1704) was very important. He originated the phrase “checks and balances” where the government needed to be checked or it would end up in tyranny. He believed that revolutions were sometimes necessary and legitimate. He thought that it was alright to revolt if your government was being tyrannical. He also thought that all people had inalienable human rights. He believed that people had certain rights that nobody should be able to infringe upon, but voting was not one of them. This helps explain the emphasis that he put on the fact that governments should not be able to tax without the say-so of the property holders.
Who is John Locke? What were his ideas?
John Locke was a 17th century philosopher concerned primarily with society and epistemology. An Englishman, Locke's notions of a "government with the consent of the governed" and man's natural rights—life, liberty, and estate (property)—had an enormous influence on the development of political philosophy. His ideas formed the basis for the concepts used in American law and government, allowing the colonists to justify revolution. Locke's epistemology and philosophy of mind also had a great deal of significant influence well into the Enlightenment period. Locke has been placed in a group called the British Empiricists, which includes David Hume and George Berkeley. Locke is perhaps most often contrasted with Thomas Hobbes. Locke's work, particularly the concepts of liberty, later influenced the written works of Thomas Jefferson and other Founding Fathers of the United States. In particular, the Declaration of Independence drew upon many 18th century political ideas, derived from the works of both Locke and Montesquieu.
What are the similarities between Hobbes’ and Locke’s social contract theories?
There are some similarities. It is also believed that Locke was influenced by Hobbes's view -despite not engaging with him directly - which can be seen in how he rejects major parts of the Hobbesian social contract.The key similarity is that they believe that human beings are equal. This equality is manifest in the state of nature: in which there is no civil government or civil law merely laws of nature. For Hobbes, the state of nature is a violent place of mistrust and competition, in which people compete for resources, (sexual) mates and prestige; but for Locke, the state of nature is a place of freedom, in which people can behave cooperatively together. However, Locke agrees with Hobbes's belief that a desire in (some) people to dominate others can threaten equality and freedom, and this leads to a state of war. Civil society is therefore created to prevent conflict and the state of war (in the state of nature). In Locke's Second Treatise people sacrifice some of their freedom to create government and law for an improved life, but in Hobbes it is necessary to prevent violence and produce security. In Hobbes's opinion the new government (‘Leviathan') must be absolute and unequal to its citizens to ensure its sovereign aims, yet for Locke an absolute sovereign is tyranny and returns humanity to a state of war. Such an absolute sovereign could therefore be rejected to prevent a state of war, and there would need to be the creation of a new sovereign to pursue the interests of the people.Locke's view can be seen as an apology for English Whig views in the 1680s, and the Glorious Revolution. The idea of rejecting a tyrant became very influential in the eighteenth century and moved to the American Colonies and was adopted in the Revolution.
What were the main ideas of John Locke?
Q. What were the main ideas of John Locke?Summary answer:(1) Simply, here’re Locke’s key philosophical positions and works.Social contractNatural rights are not dependent on the laws or customs of any particular culture or government, and therefore universal and inalienable (rights that cannot be repealed or restrained by human-enacted laws), the most important of which werelifelibertyproperty.PropertyOne may only appropriate as much as one can use before it spoils (Two Treatises of Government 2.31), 2).One must leave “enough and as good” for others (the sufficiency restriction) (2.27), andone may only appropriate property through one's own labor.We gain Civil rights in return for accepting the obligation to respect and defend the rights of others, giving up some freedoms to do so.Central assertion of social contract approaches is that law and political order are not natural, but are instead human creations.When the government fails to secure their natural rights, or satisfy the best interests of society, citizens can withdraw their obligation to obey, or change the leadership, through elections or other means including, when necessary, violence.Epistemology: Tabula rasa: We’re born without innate ideas. (Note: This has since been disproved by Science.) Knowledge is instead determined only by experience derived from sense perception. This is now known as Empiricism.Above: Tabula rasa, blank slate(2) More on his magnum opus, “Two Treatises of Government”:Sam Qwato's answer to How is John Locke's Two Treatises of Government important?
What were some of John Locke's greatest achievements/accomplishments?
John Locke= great thinker of the Anglophone-British school of Empiricism. political beliefs on power, government, and reason. ---- John Locke (August 29, 1632–October 28, 1704) was an English philosopher of the late 17th century. He said that people should use thinking to search for the truth, rather than simply accepting the ideas of authorities (people in power), or the ideas of superstition and other unscientific beliefs. Locke was awarded a bachelor's degree in 1656 and a master's degree in 1658. Political Beliefs His idea of the purpose of the ruler was to establish order in society, and believed that the ruler's power should be limited. Locke believed that there should be a "contract" or agreement between the ruler and the ruled. He believed that the ruler should be able to stay in power as long as they had the consent of the people that they governed. Locke also believed that people are basically reasonable, and would cooperate with each other. The government, in Locke's view, was responsible for protecting the rights of the people. John Locke did not like the idea of government, he thought that all men gave up their freedoms given to them by nature, but he saw it as a necessary institution.
What is the relationship between John Adams, John Locke and Thomas Jefferson?
They were all classical republicans and liberals by definition. All 3 men were at times in their lives "Unitarian" or deists if not on the edge of Atheism. These were evolving times so Locke was a Socinian. All three rejected the trinity. Adams and Jefferson borrowed concepts from Locke in the creation of the declaration of independence.