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John Locke's Achievements

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John Locke Achievements Living a life of a philosopher like John Locke during the early seventeenth century was a challenging one. During his time, an absolute monarchy was the type of government followed by England. As a philosopher and physician, he was considered as one of the most influential thinker of his time. He made essential contributions to the development of liberalism. The contributions of John Locke in our society affect the way we value life. (www.biography.com) He was born on August 29, 1632 in Wington, Somerset, England. Both his parents were Puritans and he was raised that way. In 1647, he enrolled at Westminster School in London, were he earned the distinct honor of being named a kings scholar. His father was a country …show more content…

He like the work and philosophy of Rene Descartes. He was awarded a bachelor degree in 1656 and a master’s degree in 1658 and finally obtained a bachelor degree in medicine in 1674. (www.trincoll.edu) He worked with notable scientist and thinkers during his time like Robert Boyle, Thomas Willis, and Robert Hooke. In 1666, he met Lord Antony Ashley Cooper, 1st Earl of Shaftesbury who was impressed of his talent. The Earl of Shaftesbury appointed him to be his personal physician. During the time that Lord Ashley Cooper’s life was in danger due to liver problem, he supervised a dangerous liver operation on Shaftesbury that saved his patron’s life. For this reason, the Earl of Shaftesbury trusted him. (www.biography.com) In 1667, he moved to London and wrote An Essay Concerning Human Understanding. After the first Earl of Shaftesbury lost his office, he left England and proceeds to France. In France, he met French leaders in science and philosophy. In 1679, he returns to England and retired to Oxford were he stayed quietly. …show more content…

He became leading minister of Charles II and then a founder of the opposing Whig Party, who pushes for constitutional monarchism. Shaftesbury lead the 1679 “exclusion” campaign to bar the catholic duke of York (the future James II) from the Royal succession. (www.let.rug.nl) For John Locke knowledge was not the discovery of anything, but simply the accumulation of “facts” derived from sensory experience. He wrote Two Treatises of Government that put his revolutionary ideas concerning the nature rights of man and social contacts. He also developed a definition of property as the product of a person’s labor that would be foundational for both Adam Smith’s Capitalism and Karl Marx’s Socialism. (www.history.com) He wrote “Thoughts Concerning Education”, Locke argued for a broadened syllabus and better treatment of students. When England feels under possible revolution, he was forced to leave England due to a failed assassination attempt of King Charles II. While exiled in Holland, he composed, “As Essay Concerning Human Understanding.”

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