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More than 5000 entries on the history, culture and life of Britain (published in 1993 by Macmillan, now out of print)
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John Locke
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(1632–1704)
Philosopher whose theories were a prelude to the 18C mood of enlightened optimism. His ideas on the nature of mind and knowledge were expressed in An Essay concerning Human Understanding (1690), an important text of English *empiricism. There appeared in the same year his main contribution to political theory, Two Treatises of Government. This was topical, in the aftermath of the *Revolution of 1688, in that it refuted the concept of the *divine right of kings; it also argued that the natural state of human existence is harmonious and that the purpose of government is only to safeguard the liberty and rights of the subject, thus making possible the proper functioning of society.
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Similar attitudes on religious matters are revealed in The Reasonableness of Christianity (1695) and in his three Letters (1689–92) on religious toleration – though he was sufficiently a man of his time to feel that tolerance should stop short of atheists and Roman Catholics.
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This was in direct contrast to the theory put forward by Hobbes in *Leviathan (1651) during the previous period of national upheaval. Hobbes's pessimism made strong rule essential; Locke's optimism argued for democracy and contained the seeds of liberalism.
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