John Locke...

...An Essay Concerning Human Understanding...

By John Locke 1632 - 1704

John Locke was considered to be one of the first main empiricists which means that he vales experience rather than innate ideas. His writings were influenced by the events that he had experienced himself. He wrote 'The Social Contract' and 'Human Understanding'.

The basic history of the time was...

- Civil War 1641-1651

- Cromwell rules as dictator

- Restoration of Charles the 2nd 1660

- The Exclusion Bill Crisis 1678-81

- James the 2nd made Catholic King in 1685

- Glorious Revolution 1688 - William of Orange (Holland)

Locke discovered the theory of the 'divine right of kings' which meant that a King that was chosen, was chosen by God.

Locke's father fought in the Parliamentary Army.

Locke received his degree from Oxford in 1656.

He then became an advisor to the Earl of Shaftesbury.

& fled to Holland in 1683.

...Social Contract...

Hobbes - Leviathan - State of nature.

- People's dominate passions are aggressive and situates them into a state of war.

- A leader is chosen and given a huge amount of power, power comes from the people but still give up their power to the ruler, 'mortal God'.

- Utopia - Organizing society in the best possible way.

Locke's treatise of government...

First treatise - attacks the concept of the 'Divine right of Kings' which is the idea that God had given Adam the right to rule in the Bible.

'Let them rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air...' Genesis

Second treatise - state of nature - everyone enjoys natural freedom and equality but obey natural laws (moral laws).

Known as a sort of ready-made knowledge of right and wrong, "interwoven in the constitution of the human mind" discovered by reason, which comes from God.

...Manual for a Revolution...

- Locke proposed a concept of government by consent and limited by law through the protection of property.

- Taxes could not be levied without the people's consent.

- Citizens could rebel if their government ceased to respect the natural law.

- Locke was suggesting that the right of revolution was one of the natural rights of man.

...Human Understanding...

-Understanding comes from experience which is worked on by our powers of reason, producing 'real' knowledge. Against the idea of innate ideas. God spoke in revelation - answering prayers and individual experience was never imposed onto society.

...Innate Ideas...

Plato's Forms - soul becomes aware of the forms.

Descartes - Belief in an immaterial soul with innate ideas.

Reason consists of 2 parts - what we know with certainty, and what we think we know.

...Newton...

Locke saw himself as a 'humber-under-labourer' clearing the ground for scientists such as Newton. This became the start of enlightened science.

Achievements - Law of gravity, Three laws of motion, Began experimenting with light and discovered the foundation of modern optics.

Principia 1687 - First time Newton convinced people that the world was ordered and knowable.

Criticisms - Attacked by the Cartesian school, Newton said that natural philosophy and science can only demonstrate that a certain force operates in the world not why sciences should not make things up, it should admit ignorance when there is no data, IE Locke. Newton believed the universe demonstrated God's freedom and omnipotence.