John Locke

John Locke (1632–1704) was an English philosopher, physician, and political thinker. After studying at Oxford, he taught philosophy, rhetoric, and classical languages there and became a member of the Royal Society. As secretary and personal physician to the Earl of Shaftesbury, he spent a period in Dutch exile because of political conflicts. His major works include the anonymously published »A Letter Concerning Toleration« (1689), the »Two Treatises of Government«, and »An Essay Concerning Human Understanding« (1690). In the latter, Locke developed an influential form of empiricism and rejected the doctrine of innate ideas. His writings shaped modern political philosophy, epistemology, and Enlightenment ideas about education.