Biography Profile
John Locke
John Locke was a philosopher who believed that every human learned by experience, and wasn’t born with basic ideas about the universe. He also believed that the power of government came from the people, not the divine rule of a king or God. He thought that every person was born with rights to liberty, property, and life. He thought that people also had a right to revolt against their ruler if they failed to protect those rights.
John was born in 1632 in Washington. His father was a lawyer and landowner, and had fought for the English in the Civil War of 1640. This impacted Locke because his father used his military connections to put him in a good university, the Elite Westminster School.
Locke’s education at the Elite Westminster School, where he studied medicine,
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He was also patronized by the Earl of Shaftesbury, Anthony Ashley Cooper, as his physician. The same year he was hired (1666) he performed an operation on the Earl that likely saved his life.
Locke was exiled to Holland when he was an adult, due to his patron resisting the rule of James II, and returned to Europe only after the Protestant William II came to the throne. Before then, he had lived in the Earl of Shaftesbury’s home. After he came back from exile, he lived in the home of a close friend, Lady Damaris.
John’s exile, education, and friendships shaped him as an adult. He fled to Holland with his friend and employer, the Earl. His education helped him get employed. He had a female friend who, later on, let him live the rest of his life in her home, where he published most of his works.
His patron, the Earl of Shaftesbury, helped by providing him riches sufficient to live in luxury. His closest female friend, Lady Damaris, also helped because she housed him after his exile.
John Locke faced challenges such as doing well in school, dealing with his exile, and finding a home and job