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The History Of Ideas And Political Thought Reading Club Presents: Liberty Series, Locke & Paine.
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John Locke (1632–1704), a key figure of the Enlightenment, is known for his contributions to philosophy, politics, and epistemology.
His Essay Concerning Human Understanding introduces the concept of the tabula rasa, arguing that the mind begins as a blank slate, acquiring knowledge solely through experience. This empiricist view challenged traditional notions of innate ideas, such as Plato’s Forms or the Christian doctrine of original sin.
A Letter Concerning Toleration further advocated the separation of church and state, promoting religious freedom as essential to individual and societal well-being.
Locke’s political philosophy, most notably in Two Treatises of Government, laid the foundation for modern liberal democracy. He emphasized natural rights—life, liberty, and property—and argued that governments derive legitimacy from the consent of the governed, not divine authority. This is the text from which the chapter we will be looking at today originates.
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