John Locke

Paper Summary:

This paper examines John Locke's philosophy and its impact on the Enlightenment. The author describes how some of Locke's outlooks were considered heresy. His essays and presentations did much to usher in an entirely new way of thinking, and this is why he has been called the father of Enlightenment. The paper includes many quotes by Locke and analyzes two of his treatises. The paper concludes with a biographical background of Locke and how his life may have influenced his philosophy.

From the Paper:

" A look at Locke's early life shows why his thinking was so well rounded. He first was trained in an area of study that would have led him to become a 'man of the cloth' but instead of choosing that direction he turned to medicine as a field of study. Eventually he was granted the right to practice medicine, and did so, but also began to study in his quest to become a member of the Royal Society. Much of his training had to do with the manner of mankind's attempts to think from both a spiritual aspect and a physical aspect. His assertions included a mixture of many different areas, including; spiritual, medical, physical as well as external and internal influences on mankind's thinking process and the ideas and knowledge gained by those processes."

Sample of Sources Used:

• Hollis III, Daniel W. (2006) Biblical Politics of John Locke, Journal of Interdisciplinary Studies, Vol. 18, Issue 1, pp 205 - 207
• Langley, Raymond J. (1998) Locke, John 1632-1704, Encyclopedia of World Biography, Bourgoin, Suzanne M. (ed), 2nd Ed. Detroit: Gale Research, http://find.galegroup.com/srcx/infomark.do?&contentset-GBRC&type=retrieve&tabID=T001&prodld=SRC-, accessed February 17, 2007
• Locke, John 1632-1704 (2003) Discovering Biography. Online ed. Detroit: Gale http://find.galegroup.com/srcx/infomark.do?&contentSet=GSRC&type=retrieve&tabID=T001&prodId=SRC-3&docId=EJ2102101121&source=gale&srcprod=SRCS&userGroupName=salt82334&version=1.0, accessed February 17, 2007
• Ryan, Todd. (2006) Bayle's Critique of Lockean Superaddition, Canadian Journal of Philosophy, Vol. 36, Issue 94, pp 511 - 554
• Smith, Jad. (2006) Custom, Association, and the Mixed Mode, Locke's Early Theory of Cultural Reproduction, ELH, Vol 73, Issue 4, pp 831 - 853

More papers on John Locke:

• Essay # 138022 : "John Locke: Social Contracts and Metaphysical Truth"
• Analytical Essay # 130257 : "John Locke and the Declaration of Independence"
• Analytical Essay # 134721 : "John Locke's Influence"

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