John Locke is attributed to be the most famous philosopher to have live an era where England was in conflict. These conflicts were between the English politics and scholars in England. These battles turned England into a battle field where the Crown and parliament were in constant war. Rivalry among the Protestants, Anglican and Catholics was at its peak too. These conflicts would later lead to Civil war in 1640. Locke being a philosopher at the time attributed the cause of this war was a result of man’s luck of knowledge and understanding of his rights as a human being. He was encouraged to come up with principles(Locke 2). This could then help shape man’s way of thinking. The main reason was to help end the war in England. The philosophies that John Locke came up with are still in use in the present time. He is credited to be the most famous and influential philosopher in the world.
Born in Wrington, Somersetshire, England in 1632 John Locke attended Westminster School in London. He studied natural science and philosophy. He excelled well in his education to attain a doctorate philosophy (Locke 5). Locke was lucky to have a friend who introduced him into medicine. He did extremely well in this field to achieve a doctorate in this field. Due to his influence in many areas, Locke was introduced to politics. He entered into the political scene and appointed to different political offices. Through his participation in politics he made many allies. He was able to visit France where he met and made allies with other political leaders in the French culture. Here, he was able to expand his knowledge on philosophy that could later make him the author of liberalism.
John Locke had many influences in England and to the English people. Being a politician in an era where conflicts and rivalry was at its peak. He could not fathom the fact that people were suffering due to lack of knowledge. He began opposing the administration of the Crown and the Anglican Church. This brought many skirmishes that threatened him and his life. He was forced to go into exile in Holland where he participated in political movements.
While in exile he played a big role in enlightening his fellow countrymen to fight for their rights and country. He discoursed of ways that could help in overthrowing the then present leader out of the crown. His efforts did not go to waste as James II was expelled from the crown. In turn, William of Orange was appointed as the leader in England. Having campaigned and a big supporter of William of Orange, Locke had to come back to England and opted for a private life. He devoted himself to studying philosophy. He died peacefully in 1704 having been a physician philosopher, politician and a teacher. Locke was a philosopher with a difference as he was a man who walked his talk.
As a philosopher, John Locke came up with many philosophies that are more applicable to the present day. Among the many philosophies that he came up with was human nature. In this thesis he urged that human beings were social animals. By this he implied that human beings were not restricted to the state but had the freedom to live and interact as much as they felt good. He stressed the aspect that no man was condemned by law to socialism. Here, he wanted to put a cross the point that there was no natural law that restricted a man from socializing. The conflicts between the churches had fueled and this law could end the rivalry that was existed between the Catholics, Protestants and Anglicans.
This philosophy of man being a social animal have found its meaning in the present life than it was meant to. Currently, there is no rule that restricts man to socialism. Man is free to mingle and socialize as much as he can. This was unheard of during the ancient times where the government could restrict its nationalists from interacting with people in other societies and countries. Through Locke’s philosophy it was found that the restriction of man to a particular state was like colonialism. It defined man as a prisoner who could not be naturally free to socialize. This is among the many philosophies by Locke was able to give man the liberty to exercise his rights as a social being.
The one philosophy that John Locke put more emphasis was the philosophy that stated that Men by nature had their own rights (Tully 201). This is a philosophy that he differed with many scholars including Hobbes. To Hobbes he stressed that man was bound by the law that governed him. This was an indication that the government was the determiner of a man’s right to life. This was harshly opposed by Locke who was quick to correct Hobbes theory. He was clear that naturally man had the right to life, property, good health and knowledge. To John Locke these were essential rights that man possessed and no government could determine which rights were applicable to a particular person.
The right to life, property, health, and knowledge is a fundamental aspect that has been implemented in many sectors around the world. Any violation to the rights has resulted to harsh penalty. Presently, man is held highly and his rights respected both by the government and the ruling bodies. This thesis has ensured that man is able to live in harmony with other men while respecting the rights of the other. The governments have come up with laws that make sure that any man has his own rights protected. Properties, life and Health are protected by the law. The same goes with knowledge where every child and adult has a right to education.
John Locke due to the rivalry that existed in the government came up with treatises that could help the then government to understand the extent of its power. These treatises were the first and the second treatises (Laslett 68). In this discourse, his main aim was to criticize Sir Robert Filmer thesis. Locker felt that Filmer’s theories were misleading and could lead people to be absurdity. According to Filmer the virtue of free will was not liable to any man. He urged that the biblical first man Adam possessed boundless power over nay man. This therefore meant that the any Crown ordained is divine and therefore crown is bound to be hereditary.
Film further suggested that Adam being the first father was the rightfully the owner of all humankind and hence possessed domination on all human beings. This was a way to state that the kingship was a hereditary from Adam lineage. This was a way to stress the point that the Kingship was to go down the lineage of the chosen few. According to Filmer the God had granted Adam the power to rule over all the land and animals. This therefore meant that the Adam was the crowned King over the land. Any ruler was to come from the lineage of Adam and this meant the crown was to remain in one lineage as long as the kingdom reigned (Abrams 157). Hence, the monarchy was bound to reign and dominate with its kingship being passed from one generation to the next.
This philosophy was harshly condemned by Locke who stressed the fact that God was the supreme ruler of all the earth. Locke maintained the philosophy that God was the creator of human being and hence no man should claim to own any children that he could make the children his heir. He continues to disagree with Filmer’s philosophy terming it as a down fall to any government that could adapt it. In his scripts he wrote that Adam was not entirely given the dominion of human beings, animals and plants(Abrams 152). Instead he was to dominate over plants and animals and therefore he was not in any way possible to posses the authority over men. Locke challenged Filmer’s philosophy stating that there was no way possible to detect who was the real heir of Adam that the crown was to belong to.
In the present world this philosophy is commonly used. It has been adapted by many countries who vote for their leaders. This free will to exercise ones democratic rights proves Locke’s point that men have the natural freedom to choose what they feel is right for them. In this case the free will to vote for a government leader is the nature’s free will granted to human beings. The philosophy was an eye opener where human beings were able to admit that leadership and kingship was not meant to be of a particular lineage or group of people. This first treatise is commonly implemented all over the world with very few countries vying for the monarchy.
The human nature and God’s purpose is a philosophy that was devised by Locke. This thesis is commonly applied in many sectors in the present life. According to Locke, all human beings are God’s properties hence, God’s servants. To him this ideology meant that human beings were not subjected to be used by other human beings for their own pleasure. This philosophy was to ensure that no human beings are subordinate to others making others superior to dominate over others. This philosophy has found its way in many sectors from the abolition of slavery to any work place. The implementation of rules that governs working area to ensure that no man is overlooked borrowed a leaf from the Locke’s philosophy.
Under the human nature and God’s purpose thesis, Locke stated that no man has the authority to destroy himself or any other creature man or animal. This could either be in form of suicide, murder, violence and in any divine wish. This is due to the fact that as God’s properties and it was God’s right to end life at his own free will. Currently this philosophy is widely practiced. Laws implemented to ensure that no human being is subjected to murder, violence and the right to end his own life. Locke’s philosophy ensured that the philosophy that states that human beings have the right to freedom, life, good health and ownership of properties (Locke 307).
Locke came up with the social contract theory, in this theory he claimed that all ruling governments came to power through dubious ways. This ways could have been through bloodshed or struggle. He claimed that this principle could be linked with the survival of man where men co existed without any rules. It was only through the fights that the strongest carry the day.
This philosophy is widely adopted in the current life. It is evident that many nations have attained their liberty through battles. Some of these conflicts are so severe that ends in bloodshed. In the present life liberty is not achieved without struggle and war. This was evident when the Civil war erupted in England and many other nations for instance in the United States. This was a true sign that for any nation to attain its independence where it can govern itself, bloodshed was the only way out. Currently this is widely seen where nations have to fight nations in order to govern its self. This is like wise to the survival of human beings where the strongest survive while the weak perish. The strong keeps on undermining the weak and equality is unheard of. The survival of human beings depends on who is much stronger both in power, finance and authority. The more powerful a man is the more he enjoy his life while the lesser the man in all aspects the harder the survival.
In conclusion, John Locke was a philosopher who had an insight at the life of man. Through his ideologies man has been liberated from laws that could have rendered him a prison in his own state and country. It is by his philosophies that morals are attained and put into use. Most importantly Locke’s enlightenments exceed any other scholars that had existed in the time. He paved way to other philosophers who took it from where he left to perfect the many philosophies that are practiced currently. Locke was a thinker whose thoughts went beyond his horizon.
Works Cited
Abrams, Phillip. John Locke, Two Tracts of Government. Cambridge: Cambridge University, 1967. Print.
Laslett, Peter. Introduction: Locke and Hobbes Two Treatises on Government. Cambridge: Cambridge University, 1988. Print.
Locke, John. A Letter Concerning Toleration. New York: Routledge, 1991. Print.
Locke, John. An Essay Concerning Human Understanding. Ed. Roger Woolhouse. New York: Penguin, 1997. Print.
Tully, James. A Discourse on Property: John Locke and his Adversaries. Cambridge: Cambridge University, 1980. Print.