John Locke

[[File:JohnLocke.png|thumb|right|165px|John Locke, "vain, lazy and pompous" — a friend<ref name=flood>[https://www.theguardian.com/books/2021/jun/24/lost-memoir-paints-revered-philosopher-john-locke-as-vain-lazy-and-pompous Lost memoir paints revered philosopher John Locke as ‘vain, lazy and pompous': Rediscovered papers thought to record the memories of a longstanding friend say the 'father of liberalism’ plagiarised and lied about never reading Thomas Hobbes] by Alison Flood (24 Jun 2021 11.13 EDT) ''The Guardian''.</ref>]]
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{{cquote|He who understands baboon would do more towards [[metaphysics]] than Locke.|20px|20px|[[Charles Darwin]], 1838: Notebook M<ref>''Baboon Metaphysics: The Evolution of a Social Mind'' by Dorothy L. Cheney and Robert M. Seyfarth (2007) University of Chicago Press. ISBN 0226102432.</ref>}}
'''John Locke''' (August 29, 1632 – October 28, 1704) was a [[British]] philosopher famous for his works in social [[ethics]], [[politics]], and the [[social contract]] theory, as well as famous discourses on the [[rights]] of individuals.  He was also a strong proponent of ''[[tabula rasa]]'', or the idea that a person is a blank slate to be shaped by experience alone. Locke was notably accused of [[plagiarism]] of [[Thomas Hobbes]] after his friend, James Tyrrell's long-lost memoir was discovered and published in 2021.<ref name=flood/>

Locke is often claimed by [[libertarian]]s as one of their own, due to his writings' central emphasis on private property, [[liberty]], and individual sovereignty.<ref>[http://www.libertarianism.org/people/john-locke "The Libertarian Heritage": John Locke]</ref> He was also the founder of modern [[Empiricism|empiricist]] thought. However, his beliefs were strongly influenced by his [[Christianity]], and aren't exactly compatible with the modern libertarian worldview.  For instance, he believed that the [[Poor|needy]] have a right to the property of the wealthy,<ref>[http://mattbruenig.com/2012/02/04/reclaiming-john-locke-from-libertarians/ Reclaiming John Locke from libertarians]</ref> that land could only be owned if there was still plenty left in common for others,<ref>{{wpa|Lockean proviso}}</ref> that it is "useless and dishonest" to take more as property than you actually need,<ref>[http://www.marxists.org/reference/subject/politics/locke/ch05.htm Marxists quoting Locke.] Crazy, eh?</ref> and regarded economic exploitation of workers as akin to [[slavery]].<ref>"And a man can no more justly make use of another’s necessity to force him to become his vassal by withholding that relief God required him to afford to the wants of his brother, than he that has more strength can seize upon a weaker, master him to his obedience, and, with a dagger at his throat, offer him death or slavery."</ref>  Hmm. Then again, he invested in the slave trade himself, so... [[Double standard|maybe it's ok after all]]?<ref>http://onlinephilosophyclub.com/john-locke.php</ref> Of course, like others he could also simply be a [[hypocrite]].

Really hardcore libertarians and [[anarcho-capitalist]]s who oppose the idea of the social contract also find themselves in direct conflict with Locke, who was a major proponent thereof.

It's worth noting that John Locke died long before the advent and implementation of modern [[democracy]], [[capitalism]], and public [[welfare]] programs as we know them today, so attempting to [[shoehorn]] all his ideas into the modern condition has limited value at best, whether one is a libertarian, a [[Marxist]], or of some other persuasion.

==Religious tolerance==
Despite having advanced views for his day and age, pleading for Christians to stop persecution in Europe, Locke still believed that the rights he was writing about did not apply to atheists, claiming that "[t]hose are not at all to be tolerated who deny the being of a God" and that an atheist cannot claim the privilege
of toleration in the name of religion, since his atheism does away with
all religion.<ref>{{Cite book |title=Locke: <i>A Letter concerning Toleration</i> |date=2010-08-19 |url=http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/cbo9780511779190.005 |work=Locke on Toleration |page=37 |publisher=Cambridge University Press |access-date=2022-08-10}}</ref> His views on [[Catholics]] is also still subject to much debate.

==See also==
*[[Thomas Jefferson]]

==External links==
*[[wikisource:en:Author:John Locke|Works of John Locke on Wikisource]]

==References==
{{reflist|2|80%}}

[[Category:Atheophobia]]
[[Category:British people]]
[[Category:Christians]]
[[Category:Liberals]]
[[Category:Philosophers]]
[[Category:Plagiarists]]
[[Category:Physicians]]
[[Category:Classical liberalism]]
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Categories: Atheophobia, British people, Christians, Liberals, Philosophers, Plagiarists, Physicians, Classical liberalism