Political philosophy Essay

John Locke John locke was an English philosopher who was born in 1632 in Wrington, Somerset in England. His father was a country lawyer and milittary man who served as a captain during the English civil war. He went to Westminster school in 1647 and in 1652 to Christ Church in Oxford. Locke immersed himself in logic, metaphysics and classic languages. He graduated with a bachelor’s of medicine in 1674. He became the part of English loyal society in 1668. Locke met Anthony Ashley who was a parlimentarian in 1666 in Shaftesburry and became friend with him. He later on was appointed as a physician in Shaftesbury household in 1667. In that year he supervised a dangerous liver operation on shaftesburry and the operation was successful. When the Shaftesbury’s compaign to prevent the Catholic duke of York from Royal succession was failed, the Earl was forced to leave England to Holland in 1682. Locke went to Holland a year after his patron and returned to England in 1688 after the Glorious Revolution had placed the Protestant William III on the throne. John locke expressed his views that it is the obligation of the government to serve the people by protecting life, liberty and property. He was in favour of a representative government and rule of law. He said that if the government is unable to protect individuals then the people should revolt. In 1690 he wrote a an Essay Concerning Human Understanding. An Essay of Human Understanding is divided in four books. In these books he expresses that human mind is complete at birth † tabula rasa theory† ,but the mind can grow and acquire much more knowledge through experiences as we grow up. John Locke published Two Treatises of Government in 1689. Who wrote about the birth of the civil government in these treatises. He thought that the people can act evil and wicked, but they can also self-regulate themselves and be good. He thought that the government should have three branches: Legislative, Executive and Federative. John Locke was the against the King, he thought that the people should have the right to choose their leaders by voting. The people should revolt if the government fails to protect their properties, liberty and their lives. He stated that the right to property should be given to those people who put hard work and labor into it. In 1689, John Locke published A Letter Concerning Toleration. These letters are about the freedom of religion. He said that as human beings we have to right to follow whatever religion we want and the church does not have right to persecute people and convert them to christianity by force. John Locke means that if different religions are prevented of being practiced in a society then it will create a conflicts in the society.