John Locke Some Thoughts Concerning Education Summary

During the 17th and 18th century, an important movement sparked in Europe. Called The Enlightenment, it was an intellectual and philosophical movement that took over the world of ideas in Europe. One notable philosopher during the movement was John Locke, an English philosopher and physician. Philosopher Locke shed light on various critical and political matters that had an influence on the education structure and the perception of the childhood education. Through Locke’s book, “Some Thoughts Concerning Education”, he expresses important ideas that relate to the new ways of perceiving the childhood education, and the way education relates to the political views. Locke’s radical paradigm shift towards childhood, children, and education is explicitly

John Locke creates a paradigm of shift concerning this perception, bringing into the argument the essence of self-denial. He reinforces that self-denial is a vital virtue he would instill in the children since it creates a scope of making the respective children peer into the future and work hard. As Locke states, “ Though that most to be taken care of is the gentleman’s calling, for if those of that rank are by their education once set right, they will quickly bring all the rest into order” (Locke 24). A growing child should be exposed to restraint and willpower as early as possible during the development process. He argues that spoilt children, for example, will not live up to the required standards of selfless individuals. Locke further recommends his writing that families should school their children at homes or provide them with a tutor. John Locke is opposed to taking children to the boarding school because it exposes them to acquire bad manners and traits due to the exposure and learning from the wider