History of John Locke, by Brendan McGee #8

John Locke, one of the most famous philosophers of the 17^th century, was born in 1632 in a small village in England named Wrington. His family, which consisted of his mother, father, and two brothers were of middle class wealth, and of an ordinary standing to the public. His father, (Also named John) served the parliamentary forces in the English Civil War and was also a legal clerk. Locke received an excellent education for the time, going to a school in his hometown until his teenage years, and then moving to the Westminster School of London to complete his schooling. He was an excellent student, and when he completed his time at Westminster he began his work at Christ Church, Oxford.

John remained at Oxford for fifteen years, from 1652 to 1667. During that time he learned a great deal on traditional scholastic philosophy, (Which didn’t interest him much) completed his Undergraduate Degree, held several different academic and administrative posts, instructed fellow Undergrads, wrote one of his first works: Essays on the Law of Nature, studied a great deal on the concepts of medicine and natural philosophy, participated in several experiments, began his training to become a physician, and became acquainted with several other philosophers. Then in 1667, Locke left Oxford.

Locke become strongly attached to a family named the Coopers. He played a number of roles for the household, but mainly served as a tutor for the son of the Coopers. While in London, John continued to pursue his interests in natural philosophy and medicine. He formed a close work relationship with a man named Thomas Sydenham, who would become a famous philosopher. Locke made many contacts within the Royal Society, and became a member in 1668, he acted as a personal guard and physician to Lord Ashley, and actually saved his life during a delicate surgery. Due to this Lord Ashley promoted John Locke to all his associates which greatly boosted Locke’s public standing and helped him access and hold several different government posts.

During this time John began his most famous work, “Essay Concerning Human Understanding”, and would continue working on it intermittently for the next twenty years.

After his time in London Locke traveled to France and remained there from 1675 until 1688 - 1689. During his time in France John’s Friend Lord Ashley lost public favor and this led to Locke being dragged down with him. To raise himself back up he created an excellent political work, “Two Treaties Concerning Government”. However, John did not publish this work until 1689, when he was returning to England. During this time Lord Ashley died and Locke fled to the Netherlands to avoid persecution. Because of these experiences in England France and the Netherlands, John began to realize that these governments needed to become more open in many different ways, mainly that they needed to become far more tolerant of different religions.  

Personal Note

I always thought that Locke was an interesting Philosopher, but learning about his character, past, and upbringing has greatly interested me. I look forward to releasing a second section Locke’s life. (Also I apologize if any information is inaccurate, I cross referenced from several sources but I may have missed something. Thank you for your flexibility)