John Locke Research Paper

John Locke was a famous English philosopher, social and political activist, educator, and a talented representative of empiricism and liberalism. In his oeuvre, Locke criticized the religious intolerance and the concept of substance, rejected the theory of innate ideas, as well as the divine right of kings. John Lock managed to form his theory of ideas, the state structure and the theory of knowledge. His original works were followed by numerous future generations of philosophers. This paper will analyze the John Locke’s contribution to the development of the world`s philosophical and political thought. Along with David Hume and George Berkley, John Locke is considered to be a member of the group of the so-called British Empiricists. In general,

According to Locke, the human mind is devoid of any innate ideas, concepts, principles, etc. He believes that from the very beginning, the human soul is a blank sheet of paper - tabula rasa. Locke opines that only experience fills in this blank sheet by the means of sensory perception. Being an empiricist, Locke believed that no knowledge can be acquired without experience. Many researchers considered these ideas inappropriate or truly exaggerated; however, I think that they were quite progressive and interesting. Human experience is one of the main categories of the Locke`s philosophy. The scholar understands the experience as the impact of the world objects to humans and their sense organs. For Locke, the feeling is the main basis of the knowledge. In the Locke`s understanding, meditation is a process when on the basis of the elementary ideas (the ones derived from internal and external experience), there appear the new ideas that cannot exist on the basis of the senses or reflection. These ideas include such common concepts as space, time, etc. For example, people obtain the idea of space by the

In the ideal society, the relations between the individuals are regulated by the norms of morality, religion, and right. Due to the process of accumulation of property of the individual members of society, they have a desire to subordinate the other individuals, who, of course, oppose it. The rapid increase in population is the second prerequisite of the destruction of harmony relationship in society. With a shortage of lands, people see not the friends, but the enemies in each other, who dream to take the territory of each other. This is the major reason for the war that lasts as long as people understand the abnormality of the status quo. In the process of finding a solution to the current situation, they will eventually come to the idea of the establishment of the state, which is designated to make peace, protect the human life and property. As for the political views of John Locke, one should say that the great philosopher does not support the absolute monarchy when the ruler does not have any limitations on power. However, at the same time, Locke does not believe that democracy can bring benefits to the society. Locke considers constitutional monarchy as the ideal form of valid