Compare And Contrast Locke's Use Of Both Empirical And Religious Evidence

Locke’s Use of Both Empirical and Religious Evidence

The Enlightenment period resembled a shift in reasoning; from religious evidence to empirical evidence. This transformation was not at all easy, and required years worth of arguments to validate this shift towards a more secular perspective. One man, John Locke, took the leap in order to help this transformation occur. In The Second Treatise of Government, Locke did what many were weary of: applying scientific and secular reasoning to a seemingly illogical phenomenon that was religion in order to justify political authorities of that time. Evidently, this was a sensitive topic that had to be approached in a way that didn’t invalidate centuries worth of tradition, but did bring light to many inconsistencies within scripture. John Locke used both empirical and religious evidence in order to analyze and justify political authority, however empiricism proved to be more crucial

It is Locke’s belief that humans exist in the state we are currently in as a result of God. Locke argues that “men being all the workmanship of one omnipotent, and infinitely wise maker; all the servants of one master, sent into the world by his order, and about his business;” (Pg. 9). We all were created by the same Divine Being, meaning we are all equal under his rule. Anytime one person attempts to infringe upon another’s rights, they are directly going against God’s wishes and the natural order of things. Furthermore, he argues that “the state of nature has a law of nature to govern it, which obliges everyone: and reason which is that law, teaches all mankind who will but consult it, that being all equal and independent, no one ought to harm another in his life, health, liberty or possessions” (Pg. 9). God created a natural order of things to fit into his divine purpose, so anyone who attempts to stray or impede on this is breaking their divine