John
Locke, one of the most famous philosophers of the 17th 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)
Good intro to Locke, Brendan, but you need to add some bloggish elements: links to sources, visuals... in your 2d installment you might want to reflect on how the biographical details of his life connect with his substantive philosophical views in politics and epistemology specifically the idea that our understanding derives from experience.
ReplyDeleteSounds good! Thankyou!
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