John Locke
Tabula rasa theorist
John Locke was an English philosopher of the 17th century whose ideas shaped modern liberalism and democratic theory.
His concept of natural rights—life, liberty, and property—influenced the American founding fathers and the Declaration of Independence.
Locke argued that government derives legitimacy from the consent of the governed and that people may overthrow tyrannical rulers.
His empiricist philosophy held that the mind begins as a blank slate, acquiring knowledge through experience rather than innate ideas.
Agreement exchanging freedom for order
- natural rightsFreedoms inherent to personhood
- consent of the governedRulers need citizen approval
- state of natureHypothetical pre-governmental human existence
- property rightsLegal control over possessions
limited government · sovereignty · civil government · political authority · tyranny · executive power · legislative power · tacit consent
Unmarked starting point
- childhood developmentMaturation of the young
- virtueMoral goodness or merit
- wisdomGood judgment from experience
- breedingReproductive cultivation of organisms
learning · habit formation · practical education · moral education · tutoring · curriculum · discipline · gentleman
Unmarked mental starting point
- sensory experienceAwareness through bodily senses
- observationAttentive watching or remark
- perceptionMental interpretation of stimuli
- simple ideasUncomplicated concepts or thoughts
complex ideas · reflection · experience · understanding · sensation · epistemology · consciousness · personal identity
Freedoms held by persons
- religious tolerationPermitting varied faiths coexist
- separation of church and stateConstitutional religious neutrality principle
- freedom of conscienceRight to hold beliefs
- constitutional governmentRegime bound by charter
rule of law · private property · civil liberties · limited monarchy · checks and balances · natural law · self-ownership · equality
Eighteenth-century intellectual awakening
- rationalismReason as knowledge source
- progressMovement toward improvement
- secularismSeparation of faith, state
- humanismPhilosophy prioritizing earthly reason
freethought · reform · Jefferson · Declaration of Independence · influence · modern philosophy · scientific method
social contract
Agreement exchanging freedom for order
- natural rightsFreedoms inherent to personhood
- consent of the governedRulers need citizen approval
- state of natureHypothetical pre-governmental human existence
property rights · limited government · sovereignty · civil government · political authority · tyranny · executive power · legislative power · tacit consent · Glorious Revolution
blank slate
Unmarked starting point
- childhood developmentMaturation of the young
- virtueMoral goodness or merit
- wisdomGood judgment from experience
breeding · learning · habit formation · practical education · moral education · tutoring · curriculum · discipline · gentleman · character formation
tabula rasa
Unmarked mental starting point
- sensory experienceAwareness through bodily senses
- observationAttentive watching or remark
- perceptionMental interpretation of stimuli
simple ideas · complex ideas · reflection · experience · understanding · sensation · epistemology · consciousness · personal identity · reason
individual rights
Freedoms held by persons
- religious tolerationPermitting varied faiths coexist
- separation of church and stateConstitutional religious neutrality principle
- freedom of conscienceRight to hold beliefs
constitutional government · rule of law · private property · civil liberties · limited monarchy · checks and balances · natural law · self-ownership · equality · liberty
Age of Reason
Eighteenth-century intellectual awakening
- rationalismReason as knowledge source
- progressMovement toward improvement
- secularismSeparation of faith, state
humanism · freethought · reform · Jefferson · Declaration of Independence · influence · modern philosophy · scientific method
- philosophyethics, logic, metaphysics, ontology, epistemology
- 17th Century FiguresOliver Cromwell, Louis XIV, Isaac Newton, Rene Descartes, Rembrandt
- 17th Century ThinkersRene Descartes, Descartes, Spinoza, Leibniz, Thomas Hobbes
- British PhilosophyBertrand Russell, David Hume, George Berkeley, Thomas Hobbes, G.E. Moore
- British ThinkersBertrand Russell, David Hume, Thomas Hobbes, Francis Bacon, A.J. Ayer
- enlightenmentVoltaire, Rousseau, Kant, Montesquieu, Diderot
John LockeRené Descartes
rationalism · nativism · Plato · a priori knowledge · Noam Chomsky
John LockeThomas Hobbes
English political philosopher
absolute monarchy · divine right of kings · authoritarianism · totalitarianism · despotism
John LockeKarl Marx
communism · socialism · collectivism · Friedrich Engels · common ownership